Bulletin  No.  26— New  Series. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOLOGY: 


PROCEEDINGS 


TWELFTH  ANNUAL  MEETING 

OK  TIIK 

ASSOCIATION  OF  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGISTS. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1900. 


DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOLOGY. 


Entomologist:  L.  0.  Howard. 

First  Assistant  Entomologist:  G.  L.  Marlatt. 

A^si&dnt  Entomologists:  Th.  Pergande,  F.  H.  Chittenden,  Frank  Benton. 
In  n'sti gators:  E.  A.  Schwarz,  D.  VT.  Coquillett. 

Assistants:  It.  S.  Clifton,  Nathan  Banks,  F.  C.  Pratt.  Aug!  Busck.  Otto  Heidemann, 

A.  N;  Candell,  J.  Kotinsky. 
Artist:  Miss  L.  Sullivan. 


Bulletin  No.  26— New  Series. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMEN  T  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

DIVISION  OF  ENTOMOLOGY. 


PROCEEDINGS 

1 1 K  TBI 

TWELFTH  ANNUAL  MEETING 

OK  TIIK 


WASHINGTON: 

GOV  K  R  N  M  K  S  rp    MINTING  OFFICE. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


V.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Division  of  Entomology, 
Washington,  D.  O.,  September  7,  1900. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  the  manuscript  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  twelfth  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  of  Eco- 
nomic Entomologists,  which  was  held  at  New  York  City  June  22  and 
23,  1900.  From  the  fact  that  the  papers  presented  at  the  meetings  of 
this  Association  are  always  of  the  greatest  economic  importance,  the 
Department  has  hitherto  published  the  secretary's  reports  as  bulletins 
of  this  Division.  I  therefore  recommend  the  publication  of  the  present 
report  as  Bulletin  No.  26,  new  series. 

Respectfully.  L.  O.  Howard. 

Entomologist. 

Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agr  iculture. 

2 


(o00(o 


CO  NT E  NTS 


I'nero. 

Objects  of  the  Association  of  Economic  Entomologists  ( 'hn;  ,,r,  J\  QUlette..  5 

Present  Condition  of  the  I  il:i-t  -  >\  >h:i<_r:i  in  California  (illustrated), 

L.  0.  Howard..  16 

Estahlishment  of  a  new  beneficial  Insert  in  California  L.  0.  Howard..  16 

Beneficial  Work  of  Hyjwraspis  signata  (illustrated)  ft.  Howard..  17 

Some  Effect.-  «>f  Early  Spring  Applications  of  Insecticides  on  Fruit  Trees. 

E  P.  Fit..  22 

On  the  OvijK)sition  of  an  Egg  Parasite  of  Vanessa  antiopa. .  Chimin  M.  Weed..  32 

On  the  Oviposition  of  Cac«ecia  cerasivorana  t'larenn  M.  Weed..  33 

The  Relations  of  Pimpla  conmiisitor  to  Clisiocampa  americana, 

Clarcna  M.  Weed  &iu\  Win.  F.  Fiske..  33 

On  the  Marguerite  Fly*  //.  T.  Farnald..  34 

Observations  on  IMabrotica  1 2-pnnctata  Oliv  1.  /..  tjiiaintance. .  35 

Notes  on  some  South  African  Ticks  C.  P.  Lounsbury..  41 

Notes  on  Coccida-  of  <  ieorgia  II*.  If.  Sent/..  49 

Presidential  Addres>  v  Society  for  Promoti.  f  Agricultural  Science). 

W.  J.  Beal..  54 

Progress  in  Economic  Entomology  iii  the  Inited  States  *  /..  0,  Howard..  64 

Apiary  Notes*  ClartnCt  /'.  OHUtU..  54 

Notes  Upon  the  I  >e-tructi\e  I  trees  Pea  LoQBE  I  Ni  <  fn , ■<>/>!, ,,, a  <li .</ 'em-tor  Johns)  for 

1900  (illustrated)  W.  <i.  Johnson..  66 

Progress  in  the  Treatment  of  Plant  Diseases  in  the  Inited  States,* 

/>\.  T.  ( i<dloien\j. _  59 

Meteorological  I ntlnenccs  on  the  Hessian  Y\\  '  /■'.  Hi  W>  !>.<(,,-.. 

Hydrocyanic  Acid  < 'as  as  an  Insecticide  on  Low  Crowing  Plants. 

K.  Ihrit/ht  Siiiidi  rsi/n  and  < '.  L.  Pfnnif..  <>0 

Notes  from  helaware  /.'.  Dwight  Shndcnon. .  66 

Aphelinns  fuscipennis,  an  Important  Parasite  upon  the  San  Jose  Scale  in 

Eastern  United  States  IE.  fi.  Johnson..  73 

The  Brown  Tail  Moth  in  Massachusetts.  L.  //.  KtrHand..  75 

Entomological  Notes  from  Colorado  Clarence  P.  Gillette..  76 

Notes  on  Insects  of  Economic  Importance  for  1900   IE.  d.  Johnson..  SO 

Insects  of  the  Year  in  Ohio  F.  M.  Webster. .  84 

Notes  from  California  C.  W.  Woodvorth. .  90 

Notes  from  Canada  fumes  Fhfcher..  94 

List  of  the  members  of  the  Association  of  Economic  Entomologists   100 


♦Withdrawn  for  publication  elsewhere. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/softweOOasso 


TWELFTH  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF 
ECONOMIC  i:.\T()M0L0(i|STS. 


VOAW7.W,  sj:ssjo\.  FRIDAY,  J  USE  V.«><>. 

The  Association  met  in  room  618,  Schermerhorn  Hall.  Columbia 
University,  New  York  city,  at  LOa.  m..  June  22,  L900. 
The  following  members  were  in  attendance  at  tin*  sessions: 
Vice-President  ( '.  P.  Gillette,  Fori  Collins,  Colo. ;  Secretary  A.  II. 
Kirkland,  Maiden,  Mass.;  A.  V.  Burgess,  Maiden,  Mass.;  R.  S.  Clif- 
ton. Washington,  D.  C;  -I.  II.  Comstock,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.:  E.  P.  Felt, 
Albany,  N.  Y.:  II.  T.  Femald,  Amherst,  Mass.;  James  Fletcher. 
Ottawa.  Canada;  A.  1).  Hopkins,  Morgantown,  W,  Va.;  L.  (). 
Howard.  Washington,  D.  ( '. :  W,  (i.  Johnson,  College  Park.  Md.; 
Trevor  Kincaid,  Seattle,  Wash.;  C.  P.  Lounsbury,  Cape  Town,  South 
Africa;  A.  L.  Quaintance,  Experiment,  Ga. ;  F.  W.  Rane,  Durham, 
N.  II.:  E.  D.  Sanderson,  Newark.  Del;  W.  M.  Scott,  Atlanta.  Ga.; 
Franklin  Sherman,  jr.,  Ithaca.  N.  Y.:  ( '.  B.  Simpson,  Ithaca.  N.  Y.\ 
Henry  Skinner.  Philadelphia.  Fa.:  F.  P>.  Southwick,  New  York  City: 
F.  M.  Webster,  Wooster,  Ohio;  C.  M.  Weed,  Durham,  N.  EL;  C.  W. 

Woodworth,  Berkeley.  ( Sal. 

In  the  absence  of  President  Bruner.  Vice-President  (iillette  called 
the  meeting  to  order,  and  asked  Mr.  Howard  to  take  the  chair. 

Vice-President  (iillette  read  the  following  address: 

OBJECTS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGISTS. 

By  Clakenck  V.  <;illette,  Fort  Collins,  Colo. 

No  one  regrets  more  than  myself  that  our  honored  president  and 
genial  friend,  Professor  Bruner,  has  found  it  impossible  to  be  with  us 
on  this  occasion,  or  to  prepare  an  address  for  our  instruction  and 
entertainment. 

It  is  at  the  request  of  Professor  Bruner  and  our  worthy  secretary 
that  I  am  offering  this  hastily  prepared  substitute  for  a  presidential 
address,  that  we  may  appear  to  live  up  to  our  constitution  and  time- 
honored  custom. 

5 


6 


While  it  is  no  .small  task  that  is  placed  upon  me,  I  am  mindful  of 
the  fact  that  it  is  no  small  honor  to  be  permitted  to  deliver  the  open- 
ing address  of  the  Annual  meeting  of  this  Association  of  earnest  scien- 
tific workers — the  first  and  only  society  of  its  kind  in  all  the  world. 
Particularly  am  I  impressed  with  the  honor  when  I  remember  we  are 
met  in  one  of  the  foremost  seats  of  scientific  learning  in  our  country. 

And  then  there  is,  perhaps,  a  sort  of  grim  satisfaction  in  the  feeling 
that  it  is  my  unquestioned  privilege  at  this  time  to  act  the  part  of  an 
adviser.  I  can  praise  you  for  your  welldoing,  scold  you  for  your 
shortcomings,  and  inflict  upon  \Tou  my  own  ideas  as  to  what  your  duties 
are  to  one  another  and  to  the  people  you  serve.  But,  alas,  how  often 
we  find  that  what  we  supposed  to  be  a  new  idea  or  a  new  species  turns 
out,  after  all,  to  be  old.  After  reading  again  the  addresses  of  former 
presidents  of  this  Association,  it  appears  that  my  supposedly  new  ideas 
have  nearly  all  been  "preoccupied."  So  I  can  not  hope  to  offer  much 
at  this  time  that  shall  be  considered  new  or  worthy  of  specific  rank. 

Like  a  freeborn  American  citizen,  I  have  decided  to  speak  of  the 
duties  and  privileges  conferred  upon  us  by  section  2  of  our  constitu- 
tion, which  sets  forth  the  objects  of  the  organization. 

It  is  well  to  pause  occasionally  in  our  onward  career  and  ask  our- 
selves why  we  exist.  The  founders  of  this  Association  had  high  and 
noble  ideas  as  to  what  should  be  attained  by  its  members.  In  recount- 
ing these  objects  it  will  be  necessary  to  repeat  much  that  has  already 
been  given  in  addresses  of  this  nature,  but  will  it  not  be  better  to  urge 
the  performance  of  duties  that  have  alread}7  been  recognized  as  such 
than  to  advance  many  new  plans  of  work  to  be  neglected  and  soon 
forgotten  I 

Section  2  of  the  constitution  gives  the  objects  of  the  Association  in 
the  following  words: 

Its  object  shall  be  (1)  to  discuss  new  discoveries,  to  exchange  experiences,  and  to 
carefully  consider  best  methods  of  work;  (2)  to  give  opportunity  to  individual  work- 
ers of  announcing  proposed  investigations,  so  as  to  bring  out  suggestions  and  prevent 
unnecessary  duplication  of  work;  (3)  to  suggest,  when  possible,  certain  lines  of 
investigation  upon  subjects  of  general  interest;  (4)  to  promote  the  science  and  advance 
the  study  of  entomology. 

The  objects  arc  well  chosen  and  clearly  and  concisely  stated.  Let 
us  consider  them  one  by  one. 

We  are  "to  discuss  new  discoveries."*  This  implies,  first  of  all, 
that  new  discoveries  arc  to  he  made.  It  takes  for  granted  that  the 
members  of  this  Association  are  to  be  scientific  workers  and  not  mere 
hook  students,  content  to  thrash  over  old  straw  or  to  step  exactly  in 
the  footprints  of  another.  Kach  is  expected,  by  his  own  careful 
research  and  study  of  nature,  to  add  new  facts  to  the  sum  of  human 
knowledge.  It  is  a  noble  aspiration  for  one  to  desire  to  leave  as  his 
legacy  to  the  world  some  new  idea  or  discovery  to  be  of  use  to  all 
succeeding  general  ions. 


Who  could  not  ••when  his  summons  comes  *  ::'  wrap  the  drapery 
of  his  couch  about  him  and  lie  down  to  pleasant  dreams"  if  he  could 
know  he  had  brought  such  a  blessing  to  his  countrymen  as  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Ycdalia  to  the  relief  of  disheartened  fruitgrowers,  or 
if  he  had  made  possible  the  successful  culture  of  so  valuable  an  article 
of  food  as  the  Hg  through  the  establishment  of  Blastophaga  grossoru n< 
in  American  orchards,  or  if  he  were  certain  of  having  done  anything 
during  his  lifetime  <>f  service  that  would  be  a  Bjire  and  perpetual 
source  of  blessing  to  mankind? 

Yon  will  recall  that  Dr.  Fernald,  in  hi-  presidential  address,  put  the 
making  of  new  discoveries  first  in  importance  in  our  work.  In  all 
science  and  in  every  industry  it  i-  the  new  discoveries  that  make  fur- 
ther advance  possible.  They  are  the  sure  stepping-stones  by  which 
man  ascends  to  greater  height-  and  get-  a  broader  view  of  the  great 
world  in  which  he  labors.  There  are  thousands  to  make  use  of  a  good 
thing  w  hen  it  has  been  discovered  and  made  known  to  the  world,  but 

there  is  scarcely  more  than  one  in  a  thousand  who  can  claim  the  dis- 
tinction of  really  making  a  new  discovery  by  which  succeeding  genera- 
tions become  h  i  -  debtors. 

Whether  or  not  we  have  done  all  that  might  reasonably  he  expected 
of  ns  in  this  regard  1  will  not  attempt  to  assert.  I  do  believe  we  have 
lived  up  to  this  clause  of  our  constitution  as  well  as  any.  From 
infancv  to  old  age.  w  herever  a  human  being  is  found,  it  is  as  natural  for 
him  to  announce  to  his  fellows  a  discovery  of  something  new  to  him 
in  vision,  in  hearing,  or  in  the  realm  of  thought  as  it  i-  for  him  to 
defend  his  person  from  an  unfriendly  blow  or  to  take  food  when 
hungry.  Galileo  could  no  more  refrain  From  telling  the  world  that 
the  earth  move-  than  he  could  help  breathing  into  bis  Lungs  the  free 
air  of  heaven.  Servetus,  w  ho  first  announced  the  continuous  circula- 
tion of  the  blood,  was  not  checked  in  the  Least  in  hi- determination  to 
publish  to  the  world  what  he  believed  he  could  demonstrate  to  he  the 

truth,  though  he  was  fully  warned  of  hi-  probable  fate. 

All  science  is  but  a  search  after  truth,  and  every  fact  established  is 
a  signboard  for  tin'  guidance  of  all  others  that  come  that  way. 

It  is  no  surprise,  then,  that  many  new  discoveries  have  been  made  by 
the  members  of  this  Association,  and  that  they  have  been  promptly 
reported  at  these  annual  meetings  or  through  station  bulletins  and 
entomological  magazines. 

The  speaker  believes  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  so  small  a  body  of 
workers,  with  so  meager  an  amount  of  time  to  be  devoted  to  original 
research,  in  any  other  science,  who  can  show  larger  results  in  the 
way  of  new  discoveries  in  so  short  a  time.  So.  while  we  endeavor 
to  emphasize  the  importance  of  new  discoveries,  we  believe  there  is 
reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  past  achievements.  Let  these 
facts  spur  us  on  to  greater  endeavor,  but  let  them  not  be  to  anyone  a 
cause  for  resting  upon  his  laurels. 


8 


How  shall  we  proceed  to  the  discovery  of  new  facts  \  Is  it  sufficient 
to  go  about  our  duties  with  eyes  wide  open  and  minds  alert,  making 
discoveries  at  random  here  and  there  which  have  no  close  relation  one 
to  another?  To  make  and  chronicle  an}^  new  discovery  is  well,  but 
the  difference  between  one  who  is  simply  a  good  observer  and  the 
scientific  worker  in  applied  entomology  will  be  manifest  in  the  fact 
that  the  latter  will  so  plan  and  systematize  his  work  that  the  facts 
observed  and  the  conclusions  reached  will  have  an  intimate  relation 
one  to  the  other  and  will  form  a  basis  for  economic  operations.  While 
I  believe  the  work  in  applied  entomology  is  on  a  higher  level  in  this 
respect  than  ever  before,  still  there  is  room  for  improvement. 

And  then  each  should  specially  strive  for  those  facts  the  possession 
of  which  will  enable  us  to  generalize  and  lay  down  working  princi- 
ples, or,  as  put  by  Professor  Osborn  in  his  address,  "we  should  not 
neglect  such  underlying  problems  as  shall  perfect  the  fundamental 
knowledge  of  our  science."  One  discovers  that  the  male  of  a  codling 
moth  possesses  a  black  stripe  or  dash  on  the  underside  of  the  fore 
wing  Avhich  makes  it  possible  to  separate  it  from  the  other  sex.  It  is 
a  fact  well  worth  recording  and  of  importance  to  those  who  are  work- 
ing with  the  insect,  but  it  has  no  underlying  principle  that  enables 
one  to  draw  important  conclusions.  To  discover  that  the  moth  begins 
laying  her  eggs  on  the  fruit  about  a  week  after  the  bloom  has  fallen; 
that  the  egg  is  about  ten  days  in  hatching;  that  the  young  larva 
usually  enters  the  calyx  of  the  fruit  and  there  begins  to  eat  into  it; 
that  the  calyx  of  the  apple  closes  within  a  few  days  after  the  petals 
fall,  is  to  discover  facts  closely  related  to  each  other  and  which  enable 
us  to  intelligently  plan  for  the  destruction  of  the  insect. 

In  more  than  one  presidential  address  we  have  been  urged  to  put 
special  stress  upon  life-history  work.  It  is  here  particularly  that  wo 
need  new  discoveries.  Facts  in  life  histories  of  insects  must  furnish 
a  large  proportion  of  the  necessary  basis  for  successful  economic  work. 
They  are  to  the  science  of  applied  entomology  what  the  laws  of  grav- 
itation, of  chemical  affinity,  and  of  the  indestructibility  of  matter  are 
to  one  who  is  to  be  an  analytic  chemist. 

An  examination  of  recent  bulletins  Prom  experiment  stations  b}^ 
the  side  of  those  that  were  published  when  this  Association  was  organ- 
ized will  show  that  more  and  better  life-history  work  is  being  done. 
Let  us  continue  to  improve  in  this  important  line  of  study  and  let  us 
hear  freely  from  all  suggestions  of  new  or  better  methods. 

We  should  endeavor  t<>  choose  those  problems  that  are  of  pecul- 
iar interest,  each  in  his  particular  State,  or  any  important  problem 
which  others  for  some  reason  have  shunned.  Good  examples  of  what 
J  would  urge  are:  The  work  being  done  by  Professor  Hopkins  on  the 
life  histories  of  wood-boring  beetles;  the  work  of  Dr.  Forbes  and 
Others  on  insect  diseases;  the  work  of  Professor  Osborn  upon  the 


9 


Jasside,  and  of  Professor  Slingerland  \\  itli  the  codling  moth.  Many 
good  examples  have  been  set  us  in  this  work  by  Drs.  Riley  and 
Howard  and  their  able  start'  of  assistants.  There  is  this  difference, 
however,  in  the  duties  of  the  Government  entomologist.  He  must 
see  that  all  portions  of  the  country  have  a  share  <>f  his  attention,  for 
he  is  the  servant  of  all.  and  the  publications  from  his  office  indicate 
thiit  he  is  doing  well  his  duty  in  this  regard. 

In  this  connection  I  will  pause  long  enough  to  say  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  take  for  study  some  new  pest  that  has  never  been  intro- 
duced to  the  world.  Much  of  tin4  very  best  work  in  the  investigation 
of  life  histories  has  been  with  the  old  pests  that  we  were  supposed  to 
know  perfectly.  Since  the  work  of  Messrs.  Washburn.  ( Sard,  and  Slin- 
gerland upon  the  codling  moth  wc  almost  feel  that  we  now  have  a  new 

Insect  to  talk  about  to  the  fruit  growers  in  our  respective  States.  A 

thorough  study  of  almost  any  of  the  long-known  pests  would  doubt- 
less bring  out  valuable  new  discoveries  in  habits,  and  result  in  the 

employment  of  better  mean-  of  prevention  <>r  remedy. 

Hut  we  are  not  simply  to  make  and  report  Qew discoveries;  wears 
to  "discuss v  them  when  we  meet  on  these  occasions.  These  discus- 
sions are  not  alone  for  those  who  are  t<>  learn  for  the  tirst  time  of  the 
new  discovery.  If  one  know  -  that  whatever  he  reports  here  will  be 
closely  criticised  by  those  who  are  present,  he  will  be  more  careful  to 
make  sure  of  his  conclusions  before  communicating  them  to  t ho  pub- 
lic, and  the  standard  of  our  work  will  be  raised  t<>  a  higher  level. 

So  let  us  bear  in  mind  the  words  of  Dr.  Fletcher  in  his  presi- 
dential address  in  L891,  wherein  he  urged  that  we  discuss  all  our 

experiences  freely  and  in  an  informal  manner  at  these  meetings. 

Here,  again,  we  have  followed  in  a  commendable  degree  the  letter  of 
our  constitution.  But  discussion  may  do  good  or  harm,  depending 
upon  the  manner  in  which  it  is  given:  and  there  have  been  occasions 
when  criticisms  were  not  wholly  in  the  friendly  spirit  which  ought 
always  to  characterize  them.  Let  our  discussions  never  have  any 
unnecessary  bitterness  in  them.  An  adverse  criticism,  at  the  best,  is 
not  a  pleasant  morsel.  If  it  is  needed,  let  it  come,  but  let  it  always 
come  as  of  necessity.  Make  a  child  feel  that  his  chastisement  is  nec- 
essary, that  he  has  brought  it  upon  himself,  and  that  the  infliction  of 
it  is  a  duty  and  not  a  delight,  and  you  will  not  incur  his  estrangement 
or  hatred  by  giving  it.  and  he  will  take  a  dee])  interest  in  seeing  that 
there  shall  be  no  occasion  for  its  repetition.  The  usefulness  of  our 
organization,  as  of  any  other,  depends  upon  united  efforts  and  a 
feeling  of  brotherhood  among  its  members. 

Next,  it  is  our  duty,  according  to  our  constitution,  "to  exchange 
experiences  and  carefully  consider  best  methods  of  work."  Experi- 
ence meetings  are  not  monopolized  by  religious  associations.  They 
are  equally  important  to  the  success  of  all  organized  effort.    No  one 


10 


etui  be  a  toiler  in  any  special  line  for  a  year  without  encountering 
experiences  that  might  be  related  to  a  fellow- laborer  to  his  profit. 
We  are  scattered  over  a  large  territory,  having  widely  varying  condi- 
tions of  climate,  altitude,  and  plant  and  insect  life.  Each  can  bring 
from  his  particular  field  some  points  of  peculiar  interest  to  all  the 
others.  While  we  may  read  one  another's  publications  and  perhaps 
exchange  frequent  letters  until  we  almost  feel  acquainted,  it  is  only 
occasionally  that  we  can  enjoy  these  meetings  together,  and  it  is  a 
great  inspiration  to  talk  freely  over  one's  experiences  and  plans  of 
work  face  to  face  with  those  who  are  interested  with  him  in  similar 
lines  of  labor. 

The  student  of  applied  entomology  is  supposed  to  have  a  good  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  agricultural  affairs,  particularly  in  regard  to  plant 
growth.  He  must  be  informed  upon  all  the  insecticide  materials  and 
be  able  to  tell  what  insects  they  are  suited  to  kill,  in  what  strength 
they  may  be  applied  to  different  plants,  what  their  physiological  effects 
will  be  on  both  plant  and  insect  life,  and  when  they  can  best  be  applied. 
He  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  tell  at  a  glance  what  any  insect  is  that 
ma}'  be  handed  him,  and  whether  or  not  it  is  injurious  or  beneficial. 
He  is  expected  to  be  able  to  recommend  the  cheapest  and  best  pumps 
or  other  machinery  for  the  application  of  insecticides.  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  we  need  to  get  together  and  exchange  experiences  and  discuss 
methods  of  work,  particularly  when  we  remember  that  different  results 
are  obtained  in  different  localities  ?  Lime,  salt,  and  sulphur,  so  valua- 
ble for  the  destruction  of  San  Jose  scale  on  the  Pacific  coast,  was 
found  to  be  of  very  little  value  in  the  moist  atmosphere  of  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  country;  the  codling  moth,  said  to  have  one  brood  in 
Maine,  is  reported  to  have  two  in  Colorado,  and  three  or  four  in  other 
places;  insects  fairly  common  but  never  seriously  abundant  in  one 
portion  of  the  country  are  often  found  to  be  great  pests, in  others. 
In  view  of  these  conditions  it  is  important  that  we  obtain  all  the  ideas 
possible  from  fellow-laborers  in  different  Localities,  that  we  may  make 
as  few  mistakes  as  possible,  and  that  we  may  not  bring  down  upon 
ourselves  the  distrust  of  those  whom  we  labor  to  benefit. 

We  are  also  "to  consider  best  methods  of  work."  Method  is 
always  important,  and  particularly  is  it  to  he  sought  for  in  a  young 
science  or  industry  where  long  experience  has  not  yet  determined  the 
best  plans  of  procedure.  It  was  well  at  first  that  a  large  amount  of 
individuality  should  enter  into  the  work  and  a  variety  of  methods  be 
employed.  Then,  by  a  process  of  natural  selection,  the  poorer 
methods  would  gradually  drop  out  and  the  better  ones  be  retained;  It 
is  time  for  this  Ajssociat  ion  to  lay  aside  its  swaddling  clot  hes  and  assume 
the  garb  of  maturer  years.  It  should  be  one  of  its  objects  to  deter- 
mine upon  best  methods  as  soon  as  expedient  to  do  so.  One  recom- 
mends Paris  green  or  London  purple  in  the  proportion  of  l  pound  to  200 


1 1 


gallops  of  water,  while  another  will  make  it  1  pound  to  160  or  even  LOO 
gallons  for  the  destruction  of  the  same  insect.  One  recommends  two 
sprayings  for  the  codling  moth,  another  three,  and  another  says  spray 
often  enough  to  keep  the  fruit  covered  with  a  layer  of  the  poison,  so 
as  to  be  sure  of  killing  the  second  brood.  Some  advise  hellebore  for 
the  pear  slug,  while  others  prefer  one  of  the  arsenites;  and  still 
another  would  use  quicklime  or  simply  road  dust.  Surely  there  is 
need  of  more  method  and  uniformity  in  our  work  and  in  our  recom- 
mendations for  the  control  of  particular  insects.  By  free  discussions 
at  these  meetings  much  can  be  accomplished  to  this  <  iid. 

This  consideration  of  M  heal  methods  of  work"  as  well  as  the  object 
expressed  in  the  next  clause,  namely.  u to  give  opportunity  to  indi- 
vidual workers  of  announcing  proposed  investigations,  80  as  to  bring 
out  suggestions  and  prevent  unnecessary  duplication  of  work,"  brings 
upon  us  the  importance  of  systematic  cooperation  in  our  investiga- 
tions.    Cooperation  has  been  urged  upon  us  at  many  of  the  meetings 

of  this  organization,  hut  I  do  noi  see  that  much  progress  has  beeo 
made  in  that  direction.  I  am  strongly  impressed  with  the  feeling  that 
we  are  falling  short  <>f  our  possibilities  by  neglecting  to  cooperate 
more  in  our  work.  It  may  be  best  to  hold  to  some  very  restricted 
line  at  first,  and  then  experience  will  indicate  other  and  broader 
methods. 

Probably  one  of  the  chief  difficulties  of  cooperative  work  is  that 
each  wishes  to  plan  his  own  experiments  and  publish  the  results;  then 

he  does  not  have  to  share  honors  with  another.  Such  a  feeling  i-  not 
altogether  to  be  condemned.  Neither  is  it  necessary  to  SO  plan  our 
cooperation  as  to  make  it  essential  to  remove  credit  from  him  to 
whom  it  belongs.    Let  us  suppose  two  entomologists  are  planning 

independently  to  test  the  etiect  of  insecticides  upon  foliage.  Each 
carries  through  his  experiments  and  publishes  the  results  of  his 
labors.  They  are  still  independent  experiment-,  the  results  of  one  not 
supporting  or  contradicting  to  any  great  extent  the  results  of  the  other. 
Had  each  known  what  was  being  planned  by  the  other,  they  could  have 
arranged  to  carry  out  their  experiments  so  that  they  would  be  largely 
duplications  of  each  other,  and  when  the  results  were  published  we 
should  have  double  evidence  upon  the  points  under  consideration 
where  results  agreed;  and  where  they  disagreed,  we  might  be  able  to 
find  in  the  different  conditions  the  reason  for  it.  Such  a  cooperation 
would  bring  results  of  far  greater  value  than  those  obtained  by  inde- 
pendent experimentation,  and  neither  party  would  lose  any  glory:  in 
fact,  each  would  receive  more  credit  because  of  the  better  conclusions 
that  could  be  drawn  from  the  work.  And  then  how  carefully  every 
conclusion  would  be  reached  and  backed  by  positive  proof  for  fear 
that  the  other  party  might  get  different  results!  Such  duplication  as 
this  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  establish  scientific  truth,  and 


12 


the  more  we  can  have  of  it  the  better.  It  is  only  the  ''unnecessary 
duplication  of  work"  that  our  constitution  deprecates. 

It  is  frequently  the  case  that  one  is  working  out  with  considerable 
care  the  life  habits  of  an  insect,  and  a  little  information  from  exact 
observations  upon  some  particular  point  in  other  localities  would  be 
of  great  service  to  him.  The  person  giving  the  information  would 
have  full  credit  for  what  he  did,  and  the  world  would  have  the  benefit 
of  the  combined  results.  When  time  can  not  be  taken  by  the  head  of 
a  department  for  this  aid,  it  may  often  be  the  case  that  a  special 
student  in  entomology  would  be  glad  to  get  his  name  into  a  bulletin 
for  doing  a  little  good  work.  I  have  a  case  in  mind  to  illustrate. 
The  speaker  is  working  on  the  life  history  of  the  codling  moth.  His 
observations  make  him  wonder  how  it  can  be  possible  that  there  can 
be  so  few  as  one  brood  or  so  many  as  three  or  four  an}Twhere.  He 
would  be  greatly  aided  if  a  few  entomologists  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  would  make  the  following  observations  and  report  results  this 
year.  First,  obtain  date  of  blooming  of  the  earliest  apple  trees. 
Second,  determine  the  time  of  appearance  of  the  first  moths  of  the 
second  brood  by  collecting  a  few  of  the  earliest  wormy  apples  and 
rearing  the  moths  from  them.  Third,  determine  when  the  brood  of 
worms  that  go  over  winter  without  pupation  begin  to  leave  the  fruit. 
This  can  be  done  by  placing  cloth  bands  on  the  trees  about  July  15, 
and  removing  the  larvae  that  appear  under  them  once  a  week  until 
those  have  been  taken  that  do  not  change  to  a  chrysalis  within  a  short 
time.  Then,  with  the  other  facts  that  have  been  well  worked  out,  it 
will  be  possible  to  state  with  considerable  definiteness  the  number  of 
broods  in  different  portions  of  the  country. 

There  is  one  other  of  the  many  opportunities  for  cooperation  to 
which  I  wish  briefly  to  call  attention.  So  far  as  possible  every  station 
entomologist  should  build  a  collection  representing  the  insect  fauna  of 
his  State.  In  addition  he  should  get  together  as  complete  a  collection 
as  possible  of  the  injurious  and  beneficial  insects  of  the  whole  country. 
The  value  of  such  a  collection  I  do  not  need  to  urge  upon  you,  as  it 
will  be  admitted  by  all.  I  wish  it  might  be  determined  by  secret  bal- 
lot in  this  meeting  just  how  many  out  of  a  dozen  of  our  worst  pests 
that  I  might  name  are  represented  in  the  collections  belonging  to  the 
different  stations.  I  would  not  dare  to  ask  you  to  reply  verbally  for 
fear  it  might  be  embarrassing.  And  then  you  might  turn  about  and 
ask  me  to  answer  my  own  question.  Don't  any  of  you  blush  while 
you  try  to  recall  how  many  of  the  following  species  you  can  show  to 
an  inquiring  friend:  Missus  leucopterus,  Oarpocapsa  i)om<»u<Ua,  Mcfa- 
noplus  sprePus,  Cecidomyia  destructor,  Coccotorus  prunicida,  rIi//>/tl<>- 
cybd  comes \  Tinea  pelUoneUa,  Cicada  septendecim,  Scol/yPus  rugulosus, 
PsyUa  pyricola,  or  even  Aspidiotus  pemiciosus  and  Aspidiotus  ancyhis. 
If  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  the  two  last  named,  can  you  tell 


13 


them  apart,  or  could  you  distinguish  them  if  sent  for  determination? 
No  reply  is  expected.  Not  one  of  these  important  species  should  be 
absent  from  any  of  our  collections.  By  a  little  cooperative  exchange 
we  might  all  have  them,  along  with  many  others. 

The  accumulation  of  the  State  fauna  each  must  look  after  for  his 
own  region,  but  the  general  economic  collection  can  be  made  only 
through  some  sort  of  cooperation.  There  are  a  large  number  of  seri- 
ous pests  in  rather  restricted  localities  which  should  also  be  represented 
in  all  economic  collections  so  far  as  possible.  In  Colorado  the  bean 
beetle  (  Epil't'  hiui  rurr>ij>t<i)  i-  as  bad  on  the  wax  beanfi  a-  is  the  potato 
beetle  on  potatoes:  the  fruit-tree  leaf-roller  (OaCdeia  argyrospila)  I 
have  known  to  entirely  defoliate  whole  orchards,  and  it  -  close  relative, 
the  box-elder  leaf-roller  (< '<!<■,, <;</  /ndferana)^  is  equally  destructive 
to  the  foliage  of  the  box-elder:  the  currant  and  gooseberry  fruit  fly 
(Epnt'hrti  <  <!,, ,nl  itsls)  sometimes  destroys  three-quarters  of  the  goose- 
berry crop,  and  the  plum  gouger  (Oooootorus  prwUcida)  punctures 
fully  nine-tenths  of  our  plums  on  the  eastern  slope,  and  still  it  would 
not  be  surprising  to  learn  that  in  many  of  the  States  not  one  of  these 
pests  is  represented  in  the  station  or  agricultural-college  collections. 
This  doe-  not  seem  right. 

If  the  best  way  to  build  up  our  collection  is  by  individual  exchanges, 
then  let  as  follow  that  plan.  If  we  can  adopt  some  general  method 
and  all  work  to  it.  let  OS  do  that.  It  seems  to  me  this  18  a  good  prob- 
lem for  a  committee  to  work  out  tor  us.  In  any  case,  let  us  all  collect 
large  series  of  duplicates  of  those  insects  that  are  specially  injurious 
or  beneficial  in  our  different  localities,  and  then  endeavor  by  some 
plan  to  better  <>ur  economic  collections,  and  those  of  other  State-, 
through  exchanges.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  of  any  who  would  like 
to  have  Colorado's  injurious  and  beneficial  insects  in  their  collections 

and  are  willing  to  exchange  species  from  other  States  for  them.  And 
then,  it  is  often  important  to  have  the  same  species  from  different 
localities  to  note  variations. 

Let  us  talk  freely  of  our  plan-,  and  let  us  hear  suggestions  from 
any  and  all  in  regard  to  methods  and  lines  of  investigation  that  seem 
to  you  to  be  Specially  important.  In  thi>  way  we  shall  broaden  our 
horizon  and  get  a  larger  view  of  the  scope  and  importance  of  our  work. 

The  next  object  as  stated  in  our  constitution  is  "to  suggest  when 
possible  certain  lines  of  investigation  upon  subjects  of  general  inter- 
est." Such  work  would  in  large  part  be  cooperative,  but  not  entirely 
so.  Nothing,  perhaps,  would  be  of  more  general  interest  than  infor- 
mation and  suggestions  as  to  best  methods  of  putting  information 
upon  applied  entomology  into  the  hands  of  the  common  reader.  To 
what  extent  is  it  advisable  to  use  the  newspaper  and  the  press  bulletin? 
[s  it  besl  to  put  out  bulletins  in  two  series,  one  for  the  farmer  and  one 
for  the  station  worker  and  specialist?    Shall  we  publish  all  data  from 


14 


which  our  conclusions  are  drawn,  along  with  the  bulletin  to  be  sent  to 
the  general  reader,  or  shall  we  publish  in  bulletins  results  only,  and 
reserve  tables  and  other  exact  data  for  publication  in  annual  reports? 

We  are  all  interested  to  know  to  what  extent  the  various  horticul- 
tural inspection  laws  are  efficient  in  the  States  passing  them.  What 
portions  are  specialty  valuable,  and  what  portions  do  you  consider  of 
little  or  no  use?  Further  laws  are  to  be  enacted  the  coming  winter, 
and  we  want  to  know  what  to  recommend  in  our  various  States  in 
regard  to  them. 

Lastly,  we  are  "to  promote  the  science  and  advance  the  study  of 
entomology." 

The  usefulness  of  any  applied  science  depends  upon  man's  knowl- 
edge of  the  natural  laws  operating  in  that  science.  An  astronomer 
could  not  determine  the  very  day.  hour,  and  minute  when  an  eclipse  of 
the  sun  would  be  visible  at  a  particular  spot  on  the  earth's  surface,  or 
the  exact  date  of  the  return  of  a  comet,  if  he  did  not  thorousrhlv 
understand  the  operation  of  the  laws  by  which  these  marvelous  phe- 
nomena are  brought  about.  Neither  can  applied  entomology  accom- 
plish its  highest  mission  in  the  world  for  man's  benefit  until  he  succeeds 
in  thoroughly  working  out  and  interpreting  aright  the  laws  which 
prevail  in  the  insect  world,  and  they  are  many  and  intricate,  and  some 
of  them  difficult  of  solution.  Whatever  we  can  do  to  interest  others 
in  the  study  of  insect  life  in  any  of  its  phases,  to  the  end  that  new 
facts  are  recorded,  will  help  to  the  more  perfect  understanding  of  our 
favorite  science  and  consequently  to  its  usefulness.  We  are  greatly 
indebted  to  the  pure  systematist  in  entomology  who  never  attempts  to 
make  a  practical  application  of  his  knowledge. 

It  would  greatly  promote  the  science  of  entomology  if  each  member 
of  this  Association  would  make  a  special  systematic  study  of  some 
group  of  insects,  however  small,  and  publish  the  results  as  a  personal 
contribution  to  the  pure  science  of  entomology.  We  would  be  better 
workers  in  economic  problems  for  so  doing.  A  study  of  the  habits  of 
insects  in  nature's  laboratory  fits  one  for  a  grade  of  systematic  work 
that  he  never  could  attain  as  a  closet  naturalist. 

A  knowledge  of  food  plants,  of  broods,  of  local  variations,  and  of 
variations  occurring  among  the  offspring  of  a  single  pair,  determined 
by  careful  observation  in  nature's  haunts  or  by  breeding  in  the  labora- 
tory, is  as  essential  to  enable  one  to  establish  true  specific  differences 
as  is  :i  thorough  knowledge  of  structural  character. 

To  promote  a  science  it  is  necessary  to  make  known  its  relations  to 
human  interests.  It'  men  can  be  shown  that  their  health,  wealth,  or 
happiness  depends  upon  a  knowledge  of  insect  life,  there  will  be  no 
trouble  to  interest  people  in  the  study  of  entomology.  Show  the 
farmer,  the  gardener,  and  the  horticulturist  the  importance  of  know- 
ing the  habits  of  insects  in  order  to  successfully  combat  the  pests  that 


15 


destroy  their  crops;  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  preacher  the  inex- 
haustible fund  of  evidence  and  illustration  with  which  t<>  teach  his 
flock  the  power,  wisdom,  mercy,  care  and  omnipresence  of  the  Creator 
of  all:  make  known  to  the  artist  the  boundless  field  which  a  study  of 
insects  open-  to  him  for  the  display  and  development  of  his  powers  in 
portraying  graceful  and  fantastic  forms  and  in  preparing  and  Mending 
colors  of  tin-  most  exquisite  beauty  and  harmony:  teach  those  who 
instruct  tli<-  young  what  a  wealth  of  interesting  and  easily  obtained 
objects  arc  always  at  hand  from  in-ect  life  with  which  to  fascinate  the 
child  and  secure  his  lifelong  interest  in  natural  history  study;  make  it 
plain  t<>  all  that  the  ver>  law-  of  life  that  prevail  in  tin-  higher  realm 
are  equally  patent  among  the  creeping,  crawling  creatures  of  Lower 
rank  and  -mallei-  size  do  all  thi-.  and  the  science  of  entomology  will 
quickly  take  the  rank  it  deserves  among  if-  sister  sciences. 

In  dosing  let  me  urge  that  we  keep  in  mind  the  worthy  objects  for 
the  promotion  of  which  we  are  banded  together.  Let  us  keep  the 
standard  of  work  up  to  the  ideal  conceived  by  those  in  whose  minds 
the  organization  had  its  birth.  Let  us  -how  a  willingness  to  sacrifice 
self -interest  when  it  i-  necessary  for  the  general  good,  and  let  us  do 

all  in  our  power  to  preserve  and  Strengthen  the  fraternal  feeling  that 
ha-  ever  existed  among  our  members. 


Mr.  Weed  moved  a  vote  of  thank-  to  Mr.  ( rillette  for  hi-  interesting 
and  suggest i\e  address,  the  motion  being  seconded  by  Mr.  Johnson 
and  carried  unanimously. 

Before  leaving  the  chair.  Mr.  Howard  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  it  had  been  the  custom  to  postpone  discussion  of  the  presidential 
address  until  the  afternoon  session,  in  order  to  bave  a  short  time  for 

the  transaction  of  business. 

Reports  of  the  secretary  and  the  treasurer  were  read  and.  on  motion 

of  Mr.  Webster,  were  accepted. 

Mr.  Howard  moved  that  a  committee  of  three,  to  include  the  chair- 
man and  the  secretary,  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  programme  for  the 
rest  of  the  meeting. 

Mr.  Johnson  suggested  that,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Association 
was  to  join  with  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Agricultural  Science 
on  the  following  day.  the  committee  of  three  be  instructed  to  consider 
that  programme  also. 

The  motion  was  adopted  and  a  committee  consisting  of  the  chairman 
(Mr.  Gillette),  the  secretary  (Mr.  Kirkland),  and  Mr.  Weed  was 
appointed  and  requested  to  meet  immediately  on  adjournment. 

Mr.  Howard  moved  that  the  secretary  place  on  the  list  of  members 
the  name- of  Prank  Benton.  Richard  S.  Clifton,  and  August  Busck, 
all  of  Washington,  I  >.  ( '. 


16 


Mr.  Hopkins  proposed  the  name  of  Trevor  Kincaid,  of  Seattle, 
Wash. 

Mr.  Webster  proposed  the  name  of  Wilmon  Newell,  of  Wooster, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Woodworth  proposed  the  name  of  Carroll  Fowler,  of  Berkeley, 
Cal. 

Mr.  Fernald  proposed  the  name  of  C.  M.  Walker,  of  Amherst,  Mass. 

Mr.  Howard  moved  that  a  committee  on  officers  for  the  next  meet- 
ing and  also  a  committee  of  three  on  resolutions  be  appointed  to  report 
on  the  following  afternoon. 

The  motion  was  carried  and  the  chairman  announced  that  the  com- 
mittees would  be  appointed  later. 

Mr.  Howard  then  presented  a  paper  on: 

PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  BLASTOPHAGA  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

By  L.  O.  Howard,  Waxli ington,  D.  C. 

In  this  paper  the  speaker  detailed  the  operations  in  the  introduction 
and  establishment  of  Blastophaga  which  had  been  carried  on  since  the 
last  meeting  of  the  Association.  As  a  fuller  and  later  account  will  be 
published  in  the  Yearbook  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
for  1900  the  paper  presented  is  not  published  here. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  NEW  BENEFICIAL  INSECT  IN  CALI- 
FORNIA. 

By  L.  O.  Howard. 

[Abstract.] 

A  .second  note  presented  by  Mr.  Howard  also  related  to  the  intro- 
duction of  a  beneficial  insect.  He  stated  that  it  would  perhaps  be 
remembered  that  at  the  tenth  annual  meeting  of  this  Association  he 
had  referred  to  his  efforts  to  introduce  and  establish  in  this  country, 
with  the  assistance  of  Prof.  Antonio  Berlese,  of  Italy,  the  interesting 
Oriental  parasite  known  as  Scutellista  cyanea  (see  Bulletin  17,  n.  s. 
Div.  Entom.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Auric,  pp.  13,14.)  In  Italy  this  curious 
parasite  occurs  commonly  in  the  wax  scale  (Oeroplasies  rusci),  and  it 
was  introduced  into  Italy  in  all  probability  from  the  Orient  about 
forty  years  ago,  although  originally  described  by  Motschulsky  in  L859 
from  specimens  reared  by  Nietner  in  Ceylon  from  Lecaatium  eoffew* 
The  living  specimens  were  sent  by  Dr,  Berlese  and  his  colleague,  Dr. 
Leonardi.  and  were  colonized  at  Haton  Rouge,  La.,  through  the  cour- 
tesy of  Pro!'.  II.  A.  Morgan  and  Prof.  S.  E.  McClendon;  also  in 
Washington,  I).  ('..  in  the  insectary  of  the  Division  of  Entomology 
upon  Ceroplastes  cirripediformis.    Tin1  Washington  specimens  did  not 


17 


succeed  in  perpetuating"  the  species  and  nothing  has  been  found  since 
of  the  Louisiana  material.  A  year  later  Mr.  C.  P.  Lounsburw  gov- 
ernment entomologist  of  Cape  Colony,  found  this  species  parasitic 
upon  Lecanium  olece*  the  common  black  scale,  in  Cape  Colony,  and  sent 
specimens  to  the  writer  for  identification.  The  past  spring,  Mr. 
Lounsbury,  at  the  writer's  request,  made  formally  through  the  United 
States  Secretary  of  Agriculture  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  of 
Cape  Colony,  brought  with  him  from  Cape  Town  to  New  York  two 
boxes  of  tw  ig-  covered  with  the  black  scale  affected  with  this  parasite, 
and  expressed  them  t<»  Washington,  whence  they  were  immediately 
forwarded  t<>  Mr.  E.  M.  Khrhorn.  the  horticultural  inspector  of  Santa 
Clara  County,  OaL  On  dune  L9  the  writer  received  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Khrhorn  announcing  the  arrival  in  living  and  healthy  condition  of 
the  parasites  in  question.  The  I  wig-  in  one  DOS  were  somewhat  moldy 
but  quite  a  number  of  parasites  were  crawling  about  in  the  box  and 
were  found  in  the  pupal  condition  in  some  of  the  scales.  Mr.  Khrhorn 
had  been  warned  by  telegraph  and  had  prepared  twenty-live  infested 
oleander  plants  by  potting  them  and  had  covered  each  with  a  tight 
bag  of  the  finest  Sw -i>>  mu-lin.  In  these  most  of  the  parasites  were 
liberated  and  a  few  were  allowed  t<>  tly  in  tin-  orchard.  Specimens  of 
a  hyperparasite  {Tetrasticha*  -p. )  also  survived  the  journey,  but  Mr. 
Khrhorn  was  on  the  lookout  for  this  parasite  and  isolated  them  as  they 
appeared,  pending  inst  ructions  from  Washington  as  to  their  deef  ruction. 
The  writer  had  strong  hope  of  the  successful  establishment  of  this 
species  at  San  Jose,  the  climate  being  appropriate  and  the  supply  of 
food  unlimited,  and  stated  further  that  this  was  another  instance  of 
international  entomological  work  which  emphasized  the  fact  that  this 
Association  through  thiscla-s  of  work  binds  together  its  members  all 
over  the  world  more  than  any  other  association. 

BENEFICIAL  WORK  OF  HYPERASPIS  SIGNATA. 

By  L  <  >.  Bowaxd. 
[Abstract.] 

In  a  third  note  presented  by  Mr.  Howard  he  stated  that  at  the  meet- 
ing of  this  association  held  in  L898  he  had  the  pleasure  of  calling 
attention  of  the  members  to  the  rehabilitation  of  Pulvinaria  acericola 
Walsh  and  Riley, a  Pulvinaria  which  occurs  upon  the  leaves  of  maple. 
The  full  life  history  of  this  species  and  also  of  that  of  Pulvinaria 
irmumei'abiUs  were  displayed  in  Bulletin  2'2.  n.  s..  of  the  Division  of 
Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  ruder  the  head  of 
natural  enemies  of  both  species  the  little  ladybird  beetle.  Hyperaspis 
signata,  was  especially  mentioned  and  the  statement  was  made  that  it 
wa>  received  in  the  larval  state  from  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  feeding  upon 
6878— No.  26  *> 


18 


the  scale.  On  June  18  of  the  present  year  an  additional  lot  of  speci- 
mens upon  maple  leaves  was  received  from  Prof.  Hunter  Nicholson, 
of  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and  with  them  numbers  of  the  larvae  of  the 
Hyperaspis  feeding-  energetically  upon  the  eggs  of  the  scale  insect. 
Drawings  were  made  of  this  very  peculiar  and  characteristic  larva 
which  are  reproduced  herewith.  The  striking  likeness  of  the  Larvae 
of  the  Hyperaspis  to  a  mealy  bug  will  at  once  be  noticed.  Were  it 
feeding  upon  mealy  bugs  instead  of  upon  Pulvinarias  (and  it  fre- 
quently does  feed  upon  mealy  bugs)  it  would  at  once  be  evident  that 


Fig.  1. — Hyperaspis  signata:  Larvae  feeding  upon  Pulvinariaon  leaf  of  maple  above,  natural  size;  below, 

enlarged  (original). 

we  have  here  a  clear  case4  of  what  Professor  Poulton  culls  •'aggressive 
mimicry." 


Mr.  Gillette  expressed  the  wish  that  the  Association  might  have 
more  talks  like  Dr.  Howard's,  and  asked  if  there  were  any  questions 
or  suggest  ions. 

Air.  Howard  said  he  would  be  glad  to  hear  from  Mr.  Lounsbury  on 
the  subject  of  the  parasite  of  the  black  scale.  He  said  he  wished  to 
add  that  Mr.  Loimsburv  had  sent  two  boxes  one  a  deep  box  and  one 
a  shallow  box.  The  shallow  box  carried  the  more  successfully.  The 
scales  had  begun  to  rot  in  the  dee})  box. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  replied  that  he  was  more  in  quest  of  information 
than  anxious  to  give  it.  and  would  like  to  know  if  anything  had  been 
done  about  the  secondary  parasites. 


19 


Mr.  Howard  stated  that  a  Dumber  of  secondary  parasites  of  the 
genus  Tetrastichus  had  issued,  but  Mr.  Ehrhorn  was  forewarned  and 
isolated  them  as  fast  as  they  emerged,  so  there  was  no  danger. 

Mr.  Lounsburv  stated  that  the  history  of  the  ease  dated  back  to  his 
first  arrival  in  Cape  Colony.  Before  he  had  been  there  a  year  he 
notieed  that  the  black  scale  was  not  injurious,  and  upon  traveling 
about  the  Colony  he  found  the  same  condition  true  over  many  thousand 
miles  of  territory.  Later,  upon  obtaining  specimens  of  the  parasite 
and  corresponding  with  Mr.  Howard  OD  the  Subject,  the  latter  had  sug- 
gested his  sending  it  to  California.  For  four  years  he  had  been  watch- 
ing for  an  opportunity  t<»  get  a  sufficient  Dumber  of  parasites  to  send, 

but  the  scale  IS  so  well  kept  in  check  by  the  parasites  or  by  other  fac- 
tors that  until  this  year  he  was  unable  to  tind  a  large  quantity.  Last 
year  he  mentioned  the  matter  in  hifl  annual  report,  a  copy  of  which  he 
had  sent  to  Mr.  Khrhorn,  who  at  once  Wrote  :md  asked  him  to  take  steps 
to  get  the  parasite  established  in  California.  He  replied  thai  he  would 
gladly  do  all  he  could,  but  would  like  Mr.  Khrhorn  to  make  it  a  formal 
matter  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  spend  the  time  and  money  necessary . 
This  was.  done  and  Mr.  Lounsburv  received  formal  orders  to  go  ahead. 
He  set  about  in  two  way-:  First,  he  had  i-calefi  collected  and  reared 

young  larvae  from  them,  which  were  placed  on  young  oleander  trees 
now  being  kept  in  tin-  Cape  Town  gardens.  Primary  parasites  were 
to  be  admitted  to  the  plants,  but  secondaries  excluded.  These  plants 
in  time  he  may  be  able  to  Bend  to  the  United  States  in  Wardian  cases. 
Second,  white  waiting  for.  these  to  develop  he  had  Mr.  Dually  go  out 

and  search  the  count ry  side,  with  the  fortunate  result  that  relatively 
large  colonies  of  scale  were  found  where  Mr.  Lounsburv  had  seen 
small  colonies  the  year  before.  Mi-.  Mallv  collected  for  nearly  a 
week  and  brought  in  oxer  a  bushel  of  twigs  which  were  carefully 
sorted,  cut  into  foot  lengths,  and  the  ends  dipped  into  sealing  wax. 
The  twigs  were  then  wrapped  in  tissue  paper.  The  matter  of  the  dif- 
ferently shaped  boxes  was  purely  accidental.  He  went  to  the  grocery 
shop  and  picked  out  what  he  thought  would  be  best  suited,  taking  one 
shallow  box  and  one  deep  box  in  order  to  try  them.  He  thought  that 
packed  in  the  manner  above  described  and  placed  in  a  wooden  box 
what  moisture  came  would  be  absorbed  by  the  wood.  The  boxes  were 
packed  the  night  preceding  Mr.  Lounsbury's  departure,  the  deep  box 
being  placed  on  a  dry  shelf  in  the  fruit  room  of  the  Cape  steamer  and 
the  shallow  box  kept  in  his  stateroom.  In  this  way  the  insects  wore 
taken  to  England,  which  he  hurried  across  and  took  the  next  liner. 
He  then  tried  to  get  the  box  which  he  had  kept  in  the  fruit  room  also 
placed  in  a  cool  room  on  the  New  York  steamer,  but  found  no  choice 
between  putting  it  in  tin1  meat  room  or  leaving  it  outside.  He  pre- 
ferred not  to  freeze  the  insects  because  the  parasites  not  being  accus- 
tomed to  such  temperature  might  succumb,  and  he  therefore  placed 


20 


the  box  in  an  empty  cabin  below  the  water  line.  The  voyage  was  for- 
tunately cool,  the  temperature  averaging  about  60°.  The  .shallow  box 
was  kept  in  his  stateroom,  as  on  the  Cape  steamer,  and  immediately 
upon  arrival  at  New  York  both  boxes  were  shipped  to  Mr.  Howard. 
They  arrived  in  New  York  in  twenty-live  days  from  Cape  Town,  a 
quick  passage  which,  perhaps,  could  not  be  repeated.  Mr.  Lounsburv 
further  stated  that  on  lirst  writing  to  Mr.  Ehrhorn  the  latter  took  the 
letters  to  Mr.  Leib,  a  fruit  grower,  and  Mr.  Leib  in  some  way  put 
the  matter  in  operation.  Mr.  Lounsburv  wrote  to  Mr.  Leib  and  said 
he  would  try  to  make  a  success  of  the  matter,  and  advised  him  to  get 
oleander  plants  and  infest  them  with  black  scales  and  have  things  so 
arranged  that  he  could  put  the  plants  under  cover.  He  suggested 
further  to  Mr.  Leib  that  if  he  should  receive  a  sending  of  parasites  on 
cut  twigs  the  boxes  should  be  opened  in  a  closed  room  so  as  to  allow 
the  parasites  to  fly  to  the  windows.  This  was  the  only  way  that 
occurred  to  Mr.  Lounsbury  for  the  removal  of  the  secondary  para- 
sites. The  primaries  were  to  be  collected  and  then  liberated  with  the 
scale-stocked  oleanders.  As  regards  the  oleander  plants  to  come  later, 
he  had  planned  to  prevent  secondary  parasitism,  which  he  thought 
would  be  better  if  it  could  be  carried  out. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  asked  if  there  had  been  much  experience  to  show 
the  best  method  of  sending  parasites,  and  if  it  would  be  well  to  freeze 
them  \  He  knew  before  he  left  Cape  Town  that  the  parasites  in  ques- 
tion would  keep  emerging  for  a  month  in  closed  jars  in  his  office. 

Mr.  Howard  replied  that  he  did  not  think  we  could  say  yet  what  i> 
the  best  way.  One  thing  is  certain,  however,  and  that  is  that  tin 
boxes  should  never  be  used  in  sending  from  the  Tropics. 

Mr.  Gillette  asked  if  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  Blastophaga  is  only 
three  brooded  in  its  native  home. 

Mr.  Howard  replied  that  they  have  lost  track  of  the  insect  in  its 
native  home  during  a  period  of  about  two  months  and  there  is  a  possi- 
bility that  there  may  be  in  certain  places  in  Mediterranean  regions  a 
fall  brood.  The  condition  of  their  knowledge  over  there  is  more  or 
1.'--  incomplete. 

Mr.  Johnson  asked  if  the  black  scale  in  South  Africa  is  destructive 
to  citrus  trees  to  the  same  extent  as  in  California. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  stated  that  he  had  seen  citrus  trees  infested  in  only 
about  ten  places  in  the  last  five  years  in  South  Africa,  and  never  more 
than  a  few  scales  at  any  of  these  places.  Occasionally  he  had  seen  the 
scale  on  citrus  trees  from  Natal  or  from  Australia  which  had  been 
imported  to  the  Cape.  One  orchardist  having  several  thousand  trees 
said  he  had  seen  a  little  on  his  Australian  trees,  but  it  had  disappeared. 
Mr.  Lounsbury  was  unable  to  find  any  there  after  a  year  from  the 
importation. 

Mr.  Fletcher  asked  of  what  country  the  scale  is  a  Dative 


21 


Mr.  Lounsbury  replied  that  he  did  not  think  it  is  "known.  The  scale 
must  have  been  in  Cape  Colony  for  many  years  and  is  not  confined  to 
citrus  trees.  It  occurs  most  commonly  on  oleander  and  myroporum. 
He  had  found  it  l.*>u  miles  inland  and  on  numerous  indigenous  plants 
away  from  settlements. 

Mr.  Johnson  asked  whether  the  parasite  is  solely  responsible  for  the 
reduction  of  the  scale  in  the  orchards,  and  whether  oleander  is  grown 
in  South  Africa  as  it  is  here,  under  glass. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  replied  that  oleander  at  the  Cape  is  an  outdoor 
plant.  He  could  not  say  positively  that  the  scale  is  held  in  check 
solely  by  the  parasite.  It  comes  and  goes,  and  is  never  very  abundant. 
Only  twice  has  he  been  shown  by  a  farmer  the  scale  on  citrus  trees. 

Mr.  Johnson,  referring  to  Mr.  Howard'-  description  of  the  covering 
of  fig  tree-  much  in  the  same  way  that  Vedalia  was  covered  in  order  to 
keep  the  figfi  on  the  tree-,  asked  if  it  is  necessary  for  the  tie-  to  remain 
upon  the  tree  in  order  that  the  parasites  may  lie  carried  through  the 
winter  with  it. 

Mr.  Howard  said  that  he  assumed  BO. 

Mr.  Johnson  suggested,  from  what  he  had  seen  of  the  condition  in 

which  the  fig  winter-,  that  it  might  be  possible  to  take  figs  at  certain 

times  from  the  tree-  and  thus  keep  the  in-ect  through  the  winter.  If 
this  could  he  done  it   would  do  away  with   the  outdoor  covering. 

Whether  or  not  the  figs  could  be  kept  through  the  w  inter  under  cer- 
tain conditions  i-  well  worthy  of  trial.  While  on  this  topic  of  para- 
sites he  de-ired  to  state  that  he  had  recently  received  a  communication 
from  Mr.  Khrhorn.  in  w  hich  the  latter  asked  for  parasite-  preying1  in 
the  East  on  the  imported  cabbage  worm.  It  seemed  to  Mr.  Johnson 
that  this  wa- a  matter  for  cooperation,  and  he  merely  mentioned  the 
fact  as  a  suggestion  from  Mr.  Khrhorn  that  it  is  very  desirable  to 
establish  such  parasites  in  thai  section.  He  had  promised  to  do  w  hat 
he  could  from  his  end  of  the  line,  and  he  hoped  that  others  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  possess  such  parasites  would  also  assist.  He  had 
also  receded  a  request  from  Professor  Morgan  for  specimens  of  the 
parasite  which  he  had  bred  and  which  Mr.  Howard  had  named.  Pro 
feasor  Morgan  is  anxious  to  colonize  this  parasite  on  Murgantia  his- 
trionica  in  Louisiana,  and  Mr.  Johnson  had  promised  to  send  him 
parasitized  eggs  of  the  harlequin  cabbage  bug  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity, but  up  to  the  present  time  had  been  unable  to  tind  any  speci- 
men- of  this  destructive  pest.  Three  years  ago  it  wa-  one  of  the  most 
destructive  in-ect-  in  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  cabbage-growing 
sections,  but  since  the  freeze  of  February,  L899,  he  had  seen  very  few 
specimens.  lie  was  unable  to  say  whether  this  wa-  due  entirely  to 
the  freeze  or  to  the  parasites.  The  parasite  is  a  new  speeies  (Encyri/us 
johfisoni  Howard.  Can.  Ent..  Vol.  XXX.  pp.  17.  18)  and  there  seems 
to  be  some  promise  of  its  successful  introduction  into  the  South. 


2  2 


Mr.  Gillette  said  he  considered  the  matter  of  parasites  one  of  great 
interest,  and  he  hoped  the  subject  would  be  further  discussed.  In 
Colorado  nature  often  seemed  out  of  balance.  There  are  a  number  of 
species  which  are  not  abundant  in  the  East,  but  which  are  very  inju- 
rious in  Colorado,  and  he  thought  it  was  because  the  parasites  have  not 
been  carried  to  that  section  of  the  country.  In  his  opinion  it  would 
be  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  certain  portions  of  the  country  to  intro- 
duce insect  enemies,  both  parasitic  and  predaceous. 

Mr.  Howard  said  he  desired  to  call  the  attention  of  the  members  of 
the  Association  to  the  fact  that  this  was  the  most  representative  meet- 
ing of  the  Association  ever  held.  Not  only  was  Mr.  Woodworth.  of 
California,  present,  with  Mr.  Fernald,  of  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Weed,  of 
New  Hampshire,  and  Messrs.  Quaintance  and  Scott,  of  the  Southern 
States,  but  also  "our  dear  old  friend."  Mr.  Fletcher,  of  Canada,  and 
Mr.  Lounsbury,  who  had  carried  American  economic  entomology  clear 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  South  Africa.  Mr.  Currie,  the  under  sec- 
retary of  agriculture  for  Cape  Colony,  who  was  recently  visiting  Mr. 
Howard  in  Washington,  had  said  that  he  was  very  glad  indeed  that  he 
had  sent  for  an  American  entomologist  to  come  to  the  Cape,  and  con- 
gratulated his  department  upon  being  able  to  secure  such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Lounsbury.  Mr.  Howard  further  stated  that  while  on  this  discussion 
of  scale  insects  it  was  well  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  was 
present  in  the  room  the  man  who  first  started  the  study  of  scale  insects 
in  this  country — Professor  Comstock,  of  Cornell  University — and  he 
suggested  that  Professor  Comstock  be  called  upon  to  say  a  few  words. 

Mr.  Comstock  stated  that  his  knowledge  of  scale  insects  was  a  mat- 
ter of  ancient  history.  It  was  fifteen  years  since  he  had  been  drawn 
away  from  their  study  by  other  duties.  Now  when  scale  insects  are 
sent  to  him,  as  they  are  very  often,  he  sends  them  to  Mr.  Howard.  He 
was  very  glad  to  meet  with  the  Association,  but  regretted  that  he  was 
in  bad  health  and  probably  would  not  be  able  to  remain  through  the 
sessions.  So.  if  he  was  not  present  at  the  meetings  it  was  not  because 
his  heart  was  not  with  the  Association. 

Mr.  Kelt  then  presented  the  following  paper: 

SOME  EFFECTS  OF  EARLY  SPRING  APPLICATIONS  OF  INSECTI- 
CIDES ON  FRUIT  TREES. 

By  E.  P.  Felt,  Albany,  X.  Y. 

We  bare  heard  considerable  in  recent  months  about  the  value  of 
cnidc  peli-oleum  as  an  insecticide,  and  one  entomologist  has  slated, 
in  giving  his  conclusions  regarding  its  effects  on  fruit  trees,  that 
this  substance  "is  harmless  to  the  most  tender  varieties  and  on  the 

youngesl  tree8.'3  There  is  do  doubt  but  that  crude  petroleum  pos- 
sesses valuable  properties,  but  in  t ho  light  oi  results  obtained  in  the 


23 


vicinity  of  Albany,  N.  5T.,  the  Assertion  quoted  is  t<><>  sweeping  in  its 
character. 

This  spring  a  -eric-  of  bests  were  begun  with  the  avowed  purpose  of 
learning  the  best  method  of  controlling  the  San  Jose  scale  in  orchards. 
During  the  progress  of  this  work  trees  were  treated  with  mechanical 
mixtures  of  water  and  kerosene  and  with  crude  petroleum  in  a  similar 
manner,  using  2<»  and  -.">  per  cent  of  the  oils,  which  were  applied  with 
a  Gould's  kero- water  sprayer.  A  few  trees  were  treated  with  undi- 
luted kerosene  and  others  with  undiluted  crude  petroleum.  A  num- 
ber of  trees  were  treated  with  whale-oil  s();ip-.  Leggett's  Anchor 
brand  and  (rood's  caustic  potash  whale-oil  soup  N<>.  ."'»  were  each  used 
at  the  rate  of  -2  k  pounds  to  a  gallon  of  water.  A  combination  of 
whale-oil  soap  and  crude  petroleum  was  also  used  on  a  Dumber  of 
trees,  tin-  proportions  being  I  pound  of  the  soap  to  4  gallons  of  water 
and  to  LO  gallons  of  the  soap  solution  1  gallon  of  crude  petroleum. 
A  kero-water  sprayer  was  <>n  the  ground  and  it  was  therefore  easier  to 
prepare  the  soap  solution  and  arrange  the  apparatus  to  deliver  1"  per 
cent  of  crude  petroleum.  This  produced  an  emulsion  as  it  passed 
through  the  nozzle  In  addition  t<>  these,  L2  trees  were  treated  with 
hydrocyanic  acid  gas,  using  from  l  pound  of  the  cyanide  to  7.')  cubic 
feet  to  1  pound  to  160  cubic  feel  of  space.  The  spraying  was  mostly 
done  on  April  11.  though  the  fumigation  was  delayed  until  the  L9th 

to  21st  of  April,  at  w  hich  time  tin-  bu<U  had  started  some.  This  work 
was  pei-fonned  in  a  mixed  orchard  of  over  LOO  young  peai-.  peach,  plum, 
and  cherry  trees,  where  the  San  Jose  scale  bad  been  for  about  eight 
years,  and  the  tree-  presented,  therefore,  every  degree  of  infestation. 
Unfortunately,  it  was  necessan  to  confine  the  use  of  the  undiluted  ker- 
osene and  crude  petroleum  to  the  worst  infested  trees.  It  is  yet  early 
to  pass  upon  the  effectiveness  of  these  substances  as  insecticides  and, 
therefore,  only  the  effects  on  the  trees,  will  be  considered  at  this  time. 

The  spraying  with  the  insecticides  occurred  just  before*  the  buds 
began  to  open,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  trees  treated  with  undi- 
luted ken  sene  or  crude  petroleum  very  few  or  no  harmful  effects 
were  observed.  Ebcamination  of  the  experimental  orchard  eight  days 
after  spraying,  showed  that  as  a  rule  the  trees  were  budding  out. 
Those  treated  with  kerosene  gave  little  indication  of  the  presence  of 
the  oil  on  the  bark,  while  the  dark  color  of  those1  treated  with  crude 
petroleum  was  very  apparent,  a  condition  which  persisted  till  dune  20 
at  Least.  The  whale-oil  soaps  showed  to  a  considerable  extent,  the 
bark  of  the  trees  treated  with  Good's  being  moist,  w  hile  many  of  those 
sprayed  with  Leggett's  showed  a  white  incrustation.  The  harmless- 
ness  of  a  mechanical  20  percent  kerosene  emulsion  applied  at  this 
time  is  well  shown  in  the  cherry  tree  No.  3,  photographed  May  L2 
while  in  full  bloom.  Tree  15.  a  Seekel  pear,  photographed  May  L4, 
shows  well  the  barmlessness  of  a  mechanical  20  per  cent  crude  petro- 


u 

ieum  emulsion.  Similar  photographs  could  be  shown  in  the  case  of  25 
per  cent  mechanical  emulsions  of  both  kerosene  and  crude  petroleum. 
But  when  we  come  to  examine  the  results  obtained  with  the  undiluted 
oils,  even  after  making  allowance  for  scale  injury,  one  can  not  resist 
the  conclusion  that  both  kerosene  and  crude  petroleum  may  cause 
serious  harm.  Pure  kerosene  was  considered  by  the  owner  of  the 
orchard  as  dangerous  material  to  use  on  a  tree,  and  on  that  account 
but  three  trees  were  sprayed  with  it  and  all  of  them  were  in  veiy  bad 
condition  from  scale  attack.  The  Howell  pear  tree  No.  21  was  spiked 
April  11,  photographed  May  14,  and  was  quite  badly  infested  with 
the  scale.  At  this  latter  date  most  of  the  tips  of  the  limbs  showed 
few  leaves,  and  there  were  very  few  blossoms.  The  tree  had  evi- 
dently suffered  considerably  from  the  scale,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
kerosene  also  injured  it.  June  20  the  foliage  of  this  tree  had  devel- 
oped considerably,  and  while  t^ere  were  a  number  of  dead  branches, 
the  suckers  thrown  out  may  eventually  fill  the  vacant  places. 

It  is  with  the  crude  petroleum,  however,  that  the  most  marked 
results  were  obtained.  The  seckel  pear,  No.  101,  was  photographed 
May  12  and  shows  well  the  very  few  undersized,  pale  leaves.  June  20 
there  were  only  a  few  bunches  of  leaves  on  four  limbs,  and  a  number 
of  adventitious  buds  were  developing.  The  foliage  at  this  time  was 
light  in  color.  This  tree  was  badly  infested  with  San  Jose  scale,  but, 
making  due  allowance  for  that,  it  is  still  far  from  what  it  should  be. 
The  Lombard  plum  tree,  No.  93,  was  photographed  May  12  and  shows 
very  well  the  effects  of  a  spring  application  of  crude  petroleum.  This 
tree  was  but  moderately  infested  with  the  scale,  and  consequently 
most  of  the  injury  can  be  charged  to  the  treatment.  Only  the  stronger 
buds  near  the  tips  of  the  branches  stood  the  test  well.  Many  of  those 
on  the  side  branches  were  killed  and  others  much  weakened.  The 
28th  of  May  I  made  the  following  note  concerning  this  tree:  4k  Leaves 
out  considerably,  but  the  folliage  is  still  much  thinner  than  on  other 
trees  of  its  kind."  June  20  it  was  still  seen  that  the  foliage  was  thinner 
than  the  normal.  The  next  tree,  a  Botan  plum,  was  apparently  in  the 
same  condition  as  No.  93  at  the  time  of  spraying,  but  on  May  28  there 
was  just  one  weak  leaf,  and  a  few  of  the  apparenth7  dead  twigs  showed 
a  little  green  beneath  the  bark.  Later  the  owner  dug  the  tree  out  as 
dead. 

Applications  by  horticulturists  or  farmers  are  worthy  of  close  atten- 
tion, because  they  arc  made  more  nearly  under  usual  conditions.  I  was 
therefore  very  glad  to  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  watching 
closely  the  results  obtained  by  one.  The  extensive  and  abundant 
infestation  of  his  young  orchard  w  ith  tin1  San  Jose  scale  led  Mr.  L.  L. 
Morrell,  of  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  to  try  crude  petroleum.  Some  young 
tree  tops  worked  with  Sutton  Beauty  were  sprayed  April  1  with  25  per 
cent  mechanical  mixture  of  crude  petroleum,  the  trunks  baying  been 


•25 


previously  painted  with  the  oil.  The  grafts  were  'lorn  feet  long-,  and  had 
undoubtedly  been  severely  injured  by  the  oil.  The  lateral  buds  were 
dead  in  many  eases  and  the  foliage  looked  weak  and  sickly  May  21. 
Since  then  portions  of  these  trees  have  died.  The  killing  of  lateral 
buds  was  also  noticed  by  Mr.  Morrell  on  other  trees  sprayed  with 
about  this  proportion  of  crude  petroleum.  The  foliage  was  very  thin, 
many  of  the  lateral  bud-  were  killed,  and  the  leaves  were  small  and 
unhealthy.  Writing  June  '20,  Mr.  Morrell  states  that  with  very  few 
exceptions  the  trees  painted  with  crude  petroleum  in  the  middle  of 
February  are  looking  well,  some  having  some  tine  fruit  on  them. 
The  mo-t  striking  re-ult  was  seen  in  three  King  tree-  painted  by  this 
gentleman  with  crude  petroleum  December  1.  L899.  One  of  these 
King  trees  was  photographed  May  '2\.  and  was  then  nearly  dead. 
June  Mr.  Morrell  stated  that  these  trees  are  (lead  so  far  as  one  can 
see. 

These  facts  show  that  crude  petroleum  may  seriously  injure  trees 
under  certain  conditions.  The  tree-  may  eventually  outgrow  the  harm, 
and  it  is  possible  that  the  injury  would  be  no  greater  than  the  scale 
would  cau.-e  if  allowed  to  go  unchecked.  The  foregoing  shows  thai 
the  injury  to  the  tree  is  less  the  later  in  the  spring  the  application  is 
made,  provided  the  buds  have  not  Opened.  The  mechanical  dilutions 
of  crude  petroleum,  at  least  up  to  '1')  per  cent,  appear  to  be  harmless 
if  applied  before  the  buds  open,  and  it  i-  hoped  that  they  will  prove 
effective  in  controlling  the  scale. 


A  general  discission  followed  the  reading  of  Mr.  Felt's  paper. 

Mr.  Gillette  considered  the  subject  one  of  great  importance.  In 
Colorado  a  number  of  people  had  sprayed  in  the  early  spring  with 
crude  petroleum  because  of  the  recommendations  -ecu  in  newspapers. 
He  asked  if  others  present  had  tried  crude  petroleum,  and  if  so.  w  ith 
w  hat  results. 

Mr.  Scoit  said  that  in  Georgia  he  had  carried  out  experiments  along 
this  line  in  February  and  March  on  peach  and  plum  trees,  about  3 
barrels  of  crude  petroleum  purchased  from  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
being  used,  at  from  20  percent  up  to  the  pure  oil.  He  found  that 
pure  crude  petroleum  killed  peaches  and  plums  outright. 

Mr.  Felt  asked  when  the  oil  was  applied. 

Mr.  Scott  stated  just  before  the  fruit  buds  opened  in  the  spring. 
Fifty  percent  and  Less  strength  did  very  little  damage,  but  the  best 
results  were  obtained  with  25  per  cent  in  mechanical  mixture  with 
w  ater  sprayed  with  a  Gould  kero-water  -prayer.  He  also  used  30  per 
cent,  which  did  no  damage  to  the  trees  and  was  quite  effective  in 
destroying  the  scale,  but  a  mixture  stronger  than  25  per  cent  seemed 
unnecessary,  as  all  the  insect  -  reached  by  the  -pray  were  killed  accord- 


26 


ing  to  notes  made  up  to  June  12.  Until  that  date  the  sprayed  trees 
remained  oily  and  the  odor  of  the  crude  petroleum  could  yet  be 
detected.  It  is  a  reasonable  conclusion,  then,  that  the  scale  can  not 
live  so  long  under  such  a  coating  of  oil.  He  had  concluded  that  the 
25  per  cent  crude  petroleum  in  mechanical  mixture  was  better  than 
refined  kerosene  of  the  same  strength. 

Mr.  AVood  worth  said  that  when  the  bulletin  from  the  New  Jersey 
Station  came  out  it  was  heralded  all  over  California,  and  he  had  to 
write  more  letters  in  regard  to  the  kerosene  and  crude-petroleum  treat- 
ment than  about  any  other  insecticide.  Crude  petroleum  in  California 
is  a  very  indefinite  term,  since  there  is  a  crude  petroleum  from  Ven- 
tura which  is  as  thick  and  black  as  molasses,  and  from  that  it  varies 
to  crude  petroleum  which  is  almost  as  thin  as  gasoline.  Even  in  a 
single  well  the  product  varies  according  to  depth  and  age.  and  distilla- 
tions show  that  it  varies  greatly  in  composition.  He  had  been  assured 
that  the  Eastern  product  varied  also,  and  was  of  opinion  that  before  we 
can  recommend  any  percentages  of  crude  petroleum  we  will  have  to 
establish  a  criterion  of  excellence.  The  different  kinds  of  crude 
petroleum  he  had  experimented  with  in  California  produced  very  dif- 
ferent results — strikingly  different.  There1  is  also  a  very  decided  dif- 
ference in  results  according  to  time  of  spraying  with  the  same  oil. 
Thus  spraying  before  rain  and  after  rain  may  produce  entirely  different 
results.  He  had  sprayed  with  some  forms  of  crude  petroleum  without 
injury  which  would  have  thoroughly  destroyed  the  foliage  at  another 
time  of  day.  The  amount  of  water  in  the  leaf  may  determine  to  a 
certain  extent  the  damage  by  the  oil.  It  seemed  to  him,  therefore,  that 
another  thing  that  must  be  done  before  we  can  really  properly  under- 
stand the  action  of  the  oil  will  be  to  study  the  effect  of  the  oil  upon 
the  vegetable  tissue.  Perhaps  this  had  already  been  done,  but  it  was 
still  in  large  part  a  mystery  to  him. 

Mr.  Webster  said  he  had  used  oil  from  two  wells  located  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  Ohio  this  year,  and  although  the  analysis  ran  almost 
exactly  the  same  in  each  case  the  effect  has  been  different.  In  the  one 
case  he  had  not  seen  tlx1  orchard  for  several  weeks,  but  when  he  last 
saw  it  the  peach  trees  seemed  to  have  been  in  many  instances  killed 
by  the  use  of  crude  petroleum.  He  could  not  say  whether  the  oil  had 
been  applied  just  before  or  just  after  a  rain.  In  the  other  case  the 
trees  sprayed  were  seedling  apples  on  the  experiment  farm,  the  experi- 
ment being  made  to  determine  if  possible  the  effect  upon  the  trees  and 
not  against  insects.  Some  of  the  trees  leaved  out  at  the  proper  time 
about  as  freely  as  usual,  while  others  had  no  leaves  at  all.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  there  was  no  apparent  difference  whatever  in 
them,  all  having  finally  leaved  out  precisely  the  same.  It  was  evi- 
dently nothing  hut  a  temporary  injury.  His  experiments  had  pro- 
duced such  varied  results  thai  he  was  badly  mixed  up  and  did  nol  favor 


27 

(recommending  the  use  of  kerosene  of  any  sort.  lie  was  of  the  opinion 
that  the  variation  would  be  just  as  great  in  the  crude  article  as  in  the 
re  lined. 

Mr.  Hopkins  said  that  in  \Ve>>t  Virginia  they  have  a  great  variety 
of  petroleum,  from  that  as  thick  and  Mack  as  molasses  to  the  thin 
light-colored  product.  The  oil  obtained  from  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany is  a  mixture  of  all  kinds  except  the  heavy  oil.  The  heavy  oil  is 
used  for  lubricating  machinery.  lie  had  obtained  some  results  which 
are  quite  at  variance  with  the  testimony  of  others  and  shows  what 
conflicting  results  can  be  obtained  in  different  States.  In  on*'  case  he 
recommended  crude  petroleum  as  an  experiment  in  a  large  orchard 
which  was  almost  dead  from  the  scale  and  which  the  owner  refused  to  cut 
down.  It  had  been  -prayed  onee  w  ith  pore  kerosene,  which  did  some 
damageand  killed  many  scales,  but  the  owner  had  allowed  it  to  go  with- 
out treatment  and  the  scales  had  again  covered  the  trees,  lie  sprayed 
it  with  crude  petroleum  obtained  in  Baltimore.  When  he  last  -aw  the 
orchard,  in  April,  the  tree-  were  black  and  greasy,  but  underneath 
the  bark  they  were  a-  healthy  as  ever,  the  [eai  68  wen-  coming  out  in  full, 
and  the  owner  claimed  that  the  crude  petroleum  had  benefited  them, 
lie  was  lot  recommending  the  oil.  but  simply  giving  this  as  an  exam- 
ple. His  spraying  was  done  in  February  and  wherever  the  oil  touched 
the  bark  it  remained  dark  and  greftSj  for  months  afterwards.  A  thor- 
ough examination  failed  to  reveal  an\  of  the  living  scales,  and  he 
believed  that  the  young  scales  could  not  settle  and  live  on  the  oily 

surface.  He  felt  very  much  encouraged.  It  is  one  of  those  problems 
which  require  cooperative  work.  As  a  result  of  further  investiga- 
tion, he  thinks  it  may  become  one  <>f  the  best  insecticides  ever  discov- 
ered. He  could  not  think  of  any  better  work  than  trying  to  6nd  the 
reasons  for  the  great  difference  in  results  in  experimental  work  with 
insecticides. 

Mr.  Webster  said  he  was  unable  to  see  w  hat  could  be  gained  even 
if  crude  petroleum  should  be  perfected.  It  was  true  that  we  w  ill  have 
to  get  something  cheaper  and  more  effective  than  whale-oil  soap,  which 
if  used  on  peach  trees  except  during  the  winter  will  destroy  the  fruit, 
but  in  view  of  the  difficulty  he  had  had  in  getting  crude  petroleum 
and  the  high  price  asked  for  it.  how  much  better  an  insecticide  than 
whale-oil  soap  would  we  have  even  if  it  was  perfected'  lie  thought 
that  entomologists  who  cared  for  their  reputation  would  experiment 
much  and  say  little  for  publication,  for  the  present  at  Least.  He  fur- 
ther stated  that  while  experimentation  was  always  in  order,  it  would 
be  best  to  stick  to  the  whale-oil  soap  until  more  obscurities  in  regard 
to  the  use  of  petroleum  had  been  eliminated. 

Mr.  Johnson  said  he  agreed  with  Mr.  Webster.  We  have  got  to  get 
something  better  than  kerosene  for  both  peach  and  plum.  In  one 
instance  he  had  sprayed  an  orchard  of  two  hundred  9-year  old  peach 


28 


trees  in  February  with  25  per  cent  kerosene  and  not  a  tree  was  living 
on  the  28th  of  April  last.  He  was  at  present  making  midsummer 
experiments.  It  seemed  to  him  that  atmospheric  conditions  were  at  the 
bottom  of  the  difficulty  and  he  thought  it  would  be  necessary  to  go 
back  to  the  old  whale-oil-soap  remedy  which  destroyed  the  scale  more 
effectively  and  was  less  liable  to  injure  the  trees.  It  would  not  be 
wise  to  substitute  crude  petroleum  for  whale-oil  soap.  After  three 
years  experience  with  kerosene,  whale-oil  soap,  and  gas  he  was  of  the 
opinion  that  there  are  other  conditions  which  must  be  studied  more 
seriously  in  the  future  than  in  the  past,  and  he  heartily  agreed  in  the 
opinion  of  the  chairman  that  cooperation  is  desirable.  He  believed  it 
would  produce  better  results  in  the  future.  We  must  not  confine  our 
labors  to  the  territorial  boundaries  of  a  State  but  go  outside  for  infor- 
mation, suggestions,  and  the  experience  of  others. 

Mr.  Fletcher  stated  that  he  was  glad  to  hear  what  had  been  said 
about  whale-oil  soap  and  crude  petroleum.  He  had  never  yet  been 
able  to  see  what  object  there  was  in  trying  to  use  petroleum.  The 
results  were  too  conflicting  and  always  unsatisfactory,  and  the  question 
of  cost  in  the  destruction  of  the  apparatus  was  never  considered. 
There  was  very  slight  injury  to  the  hose  in  the  use  of  potash  whale-oil 
soaps,  which  could  now  be  obtained  of  pretty  uniform  manufacture, 
and  had  been  giving  good  results.  These  are  always  to  be  had  and 
easy  to  get  to  most  places.  You  can  be  sure  of  getting  your  whale-oil 
soap  within  a  week  or  ten  days,  while  he  had  found  there  was  consid- 
erable difficulty  in  getting  crude  petroleum.  He  was  of  the  opinion 
that  there  is  room  for  experiment  with  much  weaker  mixtures  of  the 
potash  soaps  during  the  summer.  His  experience  had  been  in  favor 
of  the  potash  soaps  in  preference  to  the  crude  petroleum  or  kerosene 
mixed  with  water.  Even  with  the  old  kerosene  emulsion  there  is  some- 
times unexpected  injury  to  trees,  which  was  alw  ays  put  down  to  differ- 
ence in  the  oil  or  in  the  water.  He  was  satisfied  for  the  present  that 
the  whale-oil  soap  was  the  safest  remedy;  at  any  rate,  it  is  the  safest 
for  those  who  are  official  entomologists,  and  have  to  recommend  formulae 
to  people  who  will  make  a  mistake  if  they  possibly  can. 

Mr.  Sanderson  stated  that  he  had  not  had  much  experience  with 
crude  petroleum,  but  80  far  his  experience  has  been  favorable.  He 
sprayed  an  orchard  of  one  hundred  trees  on  the  Delaware  River  with 
<  rude  petroleum  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  on  a  cloudy  day,  with  a 
little  hail  and  lain  soon  afterwards.  The  trees  were  mainly  Bartlett, 
K  idler,  and  Manning  pears,  w  hich  had  been  sprayed  the  year  before 
with  pure  kerosene  and  somewhat  injured,  hut  which  had  recovered. 
Two  months  later,  in  March,  he  sprayed  another  lot  of  one  hundred  t  reea 
with  25  percent  solution  of  crude  petroleum.  It  was  a  very  windy 
day,  and  almost  all  the  t  rees  previously  sprayed  got  a  dose  of  the  25  per- 
cent solut  ion  on  one  side.     Kxamination  shows  no  injury  on  either  lot. 


29 


Here  and  there  could  be  seen  a  tree  not  doing  well,  but  that  was  owing 
to  the  spray  of  a  year  before  with  pure  kerosene.  The  buds  were  not 
injured.  The  growers  in  his  region  never  use  whale-oil  soap,  because 
it  destroys  the  buds.  They  have  used  it  during  midwinter  and  destroyed 
buds,  and  have  now  given  it  up. 

Mr.  Wbodworth  said  that  he  did  not  wish  his  former  remarks  to  be 
construed  to  mean  that  there  is  no  future  for  crude  petroleum  as  an 
Insecticide,  but  he  desired  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  to  learn.  In  some  of  the  large  orchards  in  ( California  crude  petro- 
leum has  been  used  with  success,  but  not  against  the  San  Jose  scale, 
lie  [a  of  the  opinion  that  there  is  a  great  future  for  crude  petroleum, 
and  that  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be  cheaper  in  the  East.  In 
California  it  i-  the  cheapest  insecticide  that  can  be  bought. 

Mr.  Hopkins  said  that  in  his  State  (West  Virginia)  crude  petroleum 
was  sold  to  the  Standard  ( )il  Company  tor  about  3 cents  per  gallon,  or 
$1. 'i:>  to  *l..~>o  per  barrel,  and  if  there  was  Sufficient  demand  for  it  for 
a  specific  purpose  he  thought  there  was  no  question  hut  that  the  cost 
would  be  reduced  much  below  that  of  whale-oil  soap. 

The  chairman  appointed  the  following  committees: 

Committee  on  nomination  of  officers  for  ensuing  year:  Messrs. 
Fletcher,  Howard,  and  Woodworth.  Committee  on  resolutions: 
Messrs.  Felt,  Johnson,  and  Burgess. 

The  morning  session  then  adjourned;  the  afternoon  session  t<»  begin 

at  2.30  p.  in. 

AiTERXOOy  SESSJoX,  Jl'XE  j 7,  lunn. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Webster  all  discussions  were  limited  to  live  min- 
utes each,  no  person  to  speak  more  than  twice  on  the  same  subject. 

Mi-.  Webster  moved  that  the  secretary  place  on  the  list  of  foreign 
members  the  names  of 

Gustavo  Leonardi,  of  Portici,  Italy. 

Robert  Xewstead,  of  Chester,  England. 

Karl  Sajo.  of  Budapest.  Hungary. 

Mr.  Howard  proposed  the  name  of  Kdmond  Bordage,  of  St.  Denis, 
Reunion. 

In  discussing  the  annual  address  delivered  by  \  ice-President  Gil- 
lette, Mr.  Weed  said  he  thought,  as  did  all  the  other  members,  that 
there  were  \(T\  many  excellent  ideas  ill  the  address.     One  of  the  most 

important  ones  was  that  about  active  cooperative  work  and  the  send- 
ing of  parasites  back  and  forth.  If  (dose  track  was  kept  of  some  of 
the  great  crop  pests  in  this  respect,  watching  carefully  the  parasitism, 
entomologist-  in  different  States  could  do  each  other  a  great  deal  of 
good. 

Mr.  Webster  thought  there  were  a  great  many  good  features  in  the 
address  and  very  many  of  vital  importance  to  station  entomologists. 


30 


It  seemed  tc  him  that  the  fact  that  this  international  and  interstate 
matter  was  made  a  prominent  feature  was  a  very  good  indication  of 
progress,  something  that  was  hardly  anticipated  when  the  Association 
was  established.  There  were  so  many  good  points  in  the  address  that 
it  was  absolutely  impossible  to  do  justice  to  it  in  a  few  minutes.  Some 
things,  however,  he  considered  entitled  to  especial  emphasis,  and  one 
was  the  matter  of  duplication  of  work.  The  fact  that  one  member 
was  working  upon  a  given  species  in  one  State  and  another  member 
working  upon  exactly  the  same  species  in  another  State,  while  appar- 
ently a  duplication  of  work,  is  not,  in  fact,  a  duplication  at  all,  because 
in  all  probability  very  different  results  would  be  obtained.  No  two 
men  see  the  same  thing  in  the  same  light,  and  climate,  latitude,  and 
elevation  also  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  actions  of  insects.  As 
to  the  matter  of  mapping  out  work,  it  must  be  remembered  that  most 
entomologists  are  limited  in  their  powers,  and,  while  they  can  plan 
work,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  carry  it  out,  as  a  station  director  or  a 
board  of  trustees  might  greatly  revise  his  plans.  In  regard  to  the 
introduction  of  foreign  parasites,  it  seemed  to  him  that  it  is  a  field  we 
are  just  entering,  with  the  future  all  before  us,  and  there  would 
be  many  failures;  but  where  such  work  was  carried  out  carefully  he 
believed  it  might  prove  successful  with  respect  to  a  great  many  intro- 
duced species  of  insects.  When  we  come  to  carry  it  out  between 
States,  however,  other  difficulties  will  surround  us.  He  went  to  a 
great  deal  of  pains  to  obtain  from  Professor  Morgan  an  egg  parasite 
of  Murgantia,  and  after  getting  it  established  it  was  swept  out  of 
existence  during  the  winter  of  1898-99,  and  no  good  has  come  from 
the  introduction,  lie  was  also  of  the  opinion  that  a  great  deal  could 
be  done  by  an  exchange  of  experiences  with  insecticides,  such  as  had 
taken  place  in  the  morning  session,  as  insecticides  seldom  have  the 
same  effeel  in  different  portions  of  the  country.  It  had  always  seemed 
to  him  that  the  work  of  the  economic  entomologist  was  very  largel}T 
to  work  out  life  histories,  and  after  he  had  done4  this  and  had  found 
out  methods  thai  could  he  used  to  destroy  the  insect  his  duty  ends  and 
the  work  of  the  horticulturist  and  the  agriculturist  begins.  He  did 
not  think  it  ought  to  be  necessary  for  an  entomologist  to  make  of 
himself  a  mechanical,  hydraulic,  or  civil  engineer. 

Mr.  Fernald  referred  to  the  remark  just  made  by  Mr.  Webster  to 
the  effect  that  no  two  men  saw  the  same  thing  in  the  same  light,  and 
said  that  the  same  was  often  true  in  listening  to  an  address,  for  gen- 
erally no  two  men  got  the  same  ideas  from  it.  For  him  other  parts 
of  the  address  than  those  mentioned  by  other  speakers  had  presented 
themselves  with  particular  force,  and  especially  those  with  reference 
to  collections  in  connection  with  the  insectary  or  entomological  work 
of  any  kind.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  work  of  a  station,  whether 
connected  with  a  college  or  not.  is  most  emphatically  educational,  for 


31 


even  if  it  be  n<>t  educational  to  students  <>r  visitors,  it  is  certainly  edu- 
cational to  the  workers  at  the  station  themselves,  and  by  continually 
adding  to  Buch  a  collection  they  are  adding"  to  their  education  as  well 
as  t<>  the  education  of  the  residents  of  the  region.  He  had  thus  far 
found  a  great  demand  for  collections  rather  different  from  those  ordi- 
narily met  with.  The  ordinary  collection  contains  the  rare  insects  as 
frequently  as  it  does  the  destructive  ones,  and  by  that  lie  meant  to 
uphold  the  .juration  that  was  raised  in  the  address  with  reference  to 
how  many  of  the  common  insects  could  be  found  in  different  collec- 
tions. He  suggested,  that  so  far  as  his  own  experience  goes,  there 
are  too  few  collection-  iii  which  all  stages  are  preserved  in  connection 
with  the  work  that  insects  do.  A  large  part  of  the  material  that  he 
receives  in  Massachusetts  does  not  contain  any  insect  whatever,  hut 
simply  a  sample  of  the  work  of  the  insect  which  has  either  escaped 
from  the  box  or  was  never  inclosed.    The  problem  in  snch  oases  is  to 

tell  what  ha-  done  t  he  damage  by  the  damage  itself.     He   found  that 

his  greatest  help  was  to  preserve  specimens  of  the  insect  and  of  the 
work  it  was  doing,  and  he  used  sucb  specimens  in  the  identification  of 
material  sent  in  perhaps  fifty  times  as  often  as  any  other  specimens. 
Our  collections,  in  bis  opinion,  should  he  amplified  along  the  lines  of 
early  stages  and  the  work  done  by  the  insects,  and  such  collections 
will  appeal  strongly  to  the  people.  The  whole  address  was  interesting 
and  suggestive,  hut  it  was  this  feature  which  interested  him  most. 
He  had  also  bad  experience  with  t he  Murgantia  parasite  obtained  from 

Louisiana  by  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Morgan,  and  while  he  was  now  for- 
tunate in  not  having  Murgantia  to  deal  with,  it  was  a  great  relief 
while  searching  around  to  find  that  there  was  some  one  who  could 
assist  him,  and  he  thought  anything  in  that  line  should  he  encouraged, 
for  when  a  man  wants  a  thing  of  that  SOli  he  wants  it  badly. 

Mr.  Johnson  said  there  was  another  important  suggestion  implied 
in  the  address,  and  that  was  the  commercial  side  of  entomology  if  the 
term  might  be  permitted.  We  have  enough  systematic  entomologists 
at  the  present  time,  and  perhaps  enough  economic  entomologists, 
but  we  do  need  another  lot  of  men  who  will  take  up  purely  the 
oecological  side;  that  is,  they  must  study  conditions  in  the  field.  The 
day  is  Coming,  and  is  not  far  distant,  when  ourgreat  commercial  railroads 
and  some  of  our  greatest  manufacturing  concerns, such  as  canneries, 
will  employ  (ecological  entomologists  just  as  they  employ  engineers 
and  other  skilled  labor.  lie  felt  quite  certain  that  this  would  come 
about, and  that  a  new  field  would  open  to  young  men  especially  who 
would  take  up  this  commercial  side  of  the  entomological  problem.  To 
give  an  illustration  of  what  he  meant, he  said  he  would  try  to  bring 
this  out  in  a  paper  which  he  would  read  on  the  following  day  on  the 
subject  of  the  pea  louse  in  Maryland,  which  has  destroyed  more  than 
$4,000,000  worth  of  green  pea-  along  the  Atlantic  coast  this  season. 


32 


When  insect  injury  touches  the  pockets  of  the  producers  to  that  extent 
they  are  going  to  look  around  for  the  men  who  are  looking  after  the 
bugs.  It  means  money  to  them.  He  had  been  in  consultation  with 
some  of  the  high  officials  of  one  of  our  principal  railroads,  and  felt 
certain  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  these  roads  will  employ 
men  to  take  up  the  entomological  study  and  development  of  the  territory 
through  which  their  lines  run.  He  considered  this  an  important  point 
for  the  student  of  entomology  to  bear  in  mind  in  the  future.  Of 
course  such  a  man  must  go  out  and  study  conditions  over  a  vast  area. 
He  must  also  know  what  our  worthy  chairman  is  doing  in  Colorado; 
what  Mr,  Weed  is  doing  in  New  Hampshire;  what  Mr.  Lounsbury  is 
doing  in  South  Africa;  what  Mr.  Fletcher  is  doing  in  Canada — in  short, 
he  must  keep  posted  on  the  entomology  of  the  whole  world  and  be 
ready  to  meet  any  emergency. 

Mr.  Hopkins  said  that  along  this  same  line  he  might  mention  the 
fact  that  he  found  in  the  spruce  forests  of  Maine  that  a  large  timber 
concern  controlling  some  300,000  acres  employed  a  practical  forester 
and  scientific  man,  and  paid  him  about  $1,500  a  year,  to  give  advice 
on  practical  methods  of  cutting  timber  and  making  surveys.  The  con- 
cern mentioned  sent  this  man  with  Mr.  Hopkins  through  the  spruce 
forests  of  Maine  to  learn  all  he  could  about  forest  insects.  This  was 
another  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the  practical  men  are  beginning  to 
realize  that  they  can  very  profitably  utilize  the  results  of  scientific 
research. 

Mr.  Kirkland  said  that  if  the  members  of  the  Association  knew  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  presidential  address  was  prepared  they 
would  appreciate  it  all  the  more.  Mr.  Brunei*  decided  at  a  rather  late 
date  that  he  would  be  unable  to  be  present,  and  Mr.  Gillette  very 
kindly  consented,  on  short  notice,  to  write  an  address.  It  was  a  matter 
of  congratulation  to  the  members  of  the  Association  that  they  have  in 
their  membership  one  who  was  both  willing  and  able  to  do  so  good  a 
piece  of  work  at  such  short  notice. 

Two  papers  were  presented  by  Mr.  Weed, as  follows: 

ON  THE  OVIPOSITION  OF  AN  EGG  PARASITE  OF  VANESSA 

ANTIOPA. 

By  Clarence  M.  Weed,  Durham,  X.  II. 

[Abstract.] 

One  May  morning  at  Durham,  X.  II.,  a  Vanessa  <tnfl<>pa  was  seen 
ovipositing  <>n  Salix.  After  laying  about  twenty  eggs  she  flew  away. 
The  moment  she  left,  a  small  hymenopteron — since  identified  by  Dr. 
L.  O.  Howard  as  Trlrnmnus  <jiuipt<i>  Howard  —was  seen  running  over 


33 


the  eggs.  The  parasite  was  watched  for  the  next  half  hour,  during 
which  time  it  oviposited  in  fifteen  eggs.  Does  the  parasite  ride  around 
on  the  butterfly,  waiting  for  oviposition? 

ON  THE  OVIPOSITION  OF  CACCECIA  CERASIVORANA 

By  (  i.akkn<  k  M.  Whd,  Durhcun,  N.  II. 
[Abstract.  ] 

The  eggs  are  laid  in  flattened  masses  on  the  hark  of  ehokeeherry 
shrub*  very  near  the  ground.  The  egg  mass  at  first  i-  yellow,  hut 
later  it  becomes  brownish,  so  that  it  i-  very  difficult  t<>  distinguish  it 
from  the  hark.  There  Is  hut  one  brood  of  larva-  a  year,  the  eggs  laid 
in  summer  remaining  unhatched  until  the  following  spring,  then  the 
young  larva-  crawl  to  the  top  of  the  shrub,  where  they  begin  the  con- 
struction of  the  tent. 

The  next  paper  wa<>  entitled: 

THE  RELATIONS  OF  PIMPLA  CONQUISITOR  TO  CLISIOCAMPA 

AMERICANA. 

By  Ci.akkm  k  ML  Wked  and  William  P.  Pnn 

[Abfteaet] 

I'imj/hi  ixmqtMtor  is  the  most  important  hymenopterous  parasite 
attacking  the  pupa  of  Olisiocatnpa  a/merioana.  The  eggs  are  com- 
monly laid  in  the  cocoon  of  the  bosl  soon  after  its  construction,  and 
several  experiments  conducted  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  inva- 
riability of  this  rule  go  to  show  that  exceptions  are  at  least  rare. 
The  development  of  the  parasite  from  the  egg  takes  hut  little  more 
time  than  that  required  for  the  completion  of  the  metamorphosis  of 
CTisiocampa  after  constructing  its  cocoon,  bo  that  their  respective 
dates  of  emergence  are  not  far  apart.  The  pupa  shell  of  the  hosl  is 
completely  tilled  by  the  larva  of  its  parasite  when  the  latter  is  full 
grown,    hut   after   the   discharge   of   the   semisolid   meconium    it  is 

scarcely  half  a-  Large  a-  before. 

The  larvae  of  Pimpla  are  attacked  when  nearly  or  quite  full  grown 
b}T  a  secondary  parasite.  Therama  Jhdvescens^  the  larva1  of  which  feed 
externally  upon  their  host  and  finally  replace  it.  The  various  stages 
of  this  species  from  the  first  have  been  observed  and  many  speci- 
men- reared.  It  is  about  two  weeks  in  reaching  maturity  from  the 
egg.  A  peculiar  fact  noticed  in  the  observations  upon  this  species 
is  that  in  the  first  stage  from  the  egg  the  minute  larva  has  a  hard  chi- 
tinous  head  with  Large  jaws,  a  feature  totally  lost  in  the  succeeding 
molts. 

6878— No.  26  3 


34 


Another  interesting  point  in  connection  with  the  life  history  of 
Pimjpla  conquisitor  is  the  fact  that  it  occurs  both  as  a  primary  and 
a  secondary  parasite  on  the  same  host,  Clisiocampa  americana.  Very 
small  individuals  were  bred  from  several  species  of  primary  parasites 
attacking  the  immature  caterpillars,  the  species  most  commonly  act- 
ing as  host  in  this  manner  being  Limneria  fugitiva . 

The  next  paper,  by  Mr.  Fernald,  was  entitled: 

ON  THE  MARGUERITE  FLY. 

By  H.  T.  Fernald,  Amherst,  Mass. 
[Withdrawn  for  publication  elsewhere.  ] 


Replying  to  a  question  from  Mr.  Johnson,  as  to  whether  h}Tdroc}T- 
anic-acid  gas  had  been  used,  Mr.  Fernald  stated  that  there  was  objection 
to  the  use  of  this  substance  among  florists,  who  have  an  exaggerated 
idea  of  the  danger  involved  and  will  not  often  use  it.  He  had  no 
doubt  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  would  be  more  effective,  but  thought  the 
florists  would  prefer  to  use  carbon  bisulphide,  as  this  substance  had 
proved  satisfactory. 

Mr.  Fletcher  thought  that  remedial  work  against  the  flies  during 
the  winter  would  be  better  than  wTork  against  the  larvae  after  they 
have  eaten  the  leaves. 

Mr.  Fernald  replied  that  the  problem  had  been  thus  far  looked  at 
by  him  entirely  from  the  florists'  standpoint,  and  the  insect  treated  in 
the  stage  at  which  the  florists  would  first  see  it  and  want  to  treat  it. 
He  was  certain,  however,  that  the  fly  could  be  handled  by  fumigating 
the  greenhouses. 

Mr.  Woodworth  said  that  the  fear  that  exists  in  the  East  over  the 
use  of  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  was  looked  upon  by  many  Californians  as 
very  funny.  In  his  State  the  greenhouse  man  will  pick  up  his  mate- 
rial in  his  hands,  charge  his  vessel,  walk  out  deliberately,  and  close 
t ho  door  after  him. 

Mr.  Johnson  stated  that  one  could  not  be  too  careful  in  the  use  of 
hydrocyanic-acid  gas.  and  he  wanted  to  caution  all  those  who  used  it. 
In  one  instance,  after  preparing  the  chemicals  necessary  for  generating 
the  gas,  he  thought  he  would  take  his  chances  in  dropping  the  cyanide 
in  the  jar  and  get  out.  hut  he  fell  the  effects  of  the  gas  almost  imme- 
diately. By  the  time  ho  reached  the  door  a  haze  came  over  his  e}^es, 
everything  looked  black,  and  a  feeling  similar  to  blind  staggers  over- 
came  him.  Experience  has  proved  that  it  is  not  a  trifling  matter,  and 
he  would  caution  all  who  had  occasion  to  use  the  gas.  At  the  same 
time  he  felt  that  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  was  the  coming  material  for  the 
destruction  of  certain  insect  pests  in  mills  where  stored  grain  and 


35 


other  products  become  infested.  He  had  recently  performed  one  of 
the  largest  experiments  ever  undertaken  in  the  use  of  hydrocyanic- 
acid  gas,  in  a  five-story  brick  mill  in  Canada.  Over  L50  pounds  of 
potassium  cyanide  was  discharged  in  the  mill,  and  the  results  were 
very  gratifying.     It  practically  eliminated  the  Hour  moth  from  the 

mill. 

Mr.  Fletcher  >aid  he  did  Dot  think  enough  care  could  be  taken  in 
eriviner  instructions  when  recommending  hvdrocvanic-acid  eras  for  gen- 
eral  use,  especially  in  this  stage  of  introducing  it.  as  a  fatal  case  or 
two  would  put  an  end  to  its  use  entirely.  Several  striking  instances 
had  lately  been  mentioned  which  -how  the  intensely  poisonous  nature 
of  this  gas.  Much  more  care,  instead  of  less,  than  has  been  exercised 
in  the  pasl  is  accessary.  With  regard  to  the  use  of  bisulphide  of  car- 
bon, he  certainly  was  not  satisfied  with  it-  use  in  mills,  and  had  not 
got  the  results  promised  for  it.  He  was  very  Borry  Mr.  Marlatt  was 
not  present  at  the  meeting,  as  his  laisser-faire  policy  had  given  him  a 

lot  of  trouble  with  the  people  he  had  to  deal  w  ith,  and  he  wa>  of  the 

opinion  thai  some  others  of  the  Association  might  have  liked  to  discuss 
t hat  matter  >< >mew  hat. 

Mr.  Sanderson  suggested  the  use,  in  oases  where  only  a  small  amount 
of  the  gas  is  required,  of  gelatine  capsules,  which  require  about  one 
minute  to  be  eaten  through  by  the  acid,  thu>  giving  time  to  get  the 
box  closed. 

Mr.  Webster  stated  that  his  fumigating  houses  in  Ohio  are  covered 
carefully  and  made  perfectly  air-tight  by  the  use  of  layers  of  building 

paper,  but  if  the  ordinary  Durseryman  make-  his  own  fumigating 

house  he  would  not  make  it  an\  more  air-tight  than  a  hencoop.  Ib- 
had  tried  almost  every  way  of  introducing  the  cyanide,  but  the  man 
who  did  the  work  invariably  complained  of  severe  headache,  until  he 
devised  a  method  of  combining  the  mixtures  under  the  Moors. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  suggested  that  a  simple  way  wa>  to  have  a  small 
lead  tube  leading  from  the  outside  of  the  house,  the  \  essel  containing 
the  cyanid"  being  placed  under  the  tube,  the  door  closed  and  locked, 
and  the  water  and  acid  freshly  mixed  being  poured  in  through  the 
little  funnel  or  tube  and  the  aperture  closed. 

'The  next  paper  was  entil led: 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  DIABROTICA  12-PUNCTATA  OLIV. 

By  A.  L.  QuaintaNCB,  Ivrperimeut,  Ga. 

In  the  Southern  States  particularly  this  insect  i>  a  corn  pest  of  con- 
siderable importance.  Injury  to  the  corn  plant  is  confined  almost 
entirely  to  the  work  of  the  larva1  on  the  underground  portions  of  the 
plant,  as  the  roots  and  stem  below  the  soil.     Injury  results  to  corn 


36 


most  manifestly,  if  not  mainly,  during  the  spring  of  the  year,  while 
the  plants  are  quite  young;  and  it  is  a  common  observation  of  farmers, 
throughout  Georgia  at  least,  that  the  plants  on  low,  wet  soils  are  much 
more  seriously  damaged  than  corn  planted  on  uplands.  The  extent 
and  nature  of  the  injury  may  vary,  but  the  most  usual  symptom  of  the 
work  of  the  larvae  is  in  the  wilting  and  falling  over  of  the  central 
leaves,  or  "  bud,''  of  the  plant,  and  later  becoming  brown  and  dry. 
Plants  showing  this  appearance  when  examined  are  almost  invariably 
found  to  have  been  bored  into  at  the  base  of  the  stem  in  such  a  way 
that  the  central  and  vital  part  of  the  plant  has  been  more  or  less  cut 
free  from  the  tissue  below.  This  wilting  and  dying  of  the  central  roll 
of  leaves  of  the  corn  plant  has  doubtless  suggested  the  term  u  bud 
worm,"  b}^  which  name  the  larva?  seem  to  be  very  generally  designated. 
Other  terms,  as  "bill  bug"  and  "wire  worm. "  are  less  frequently 
used  in  speaking  of  this  insect.  The  recognized  English  name,  the 
Southern  corn  root-worm,  as  used  by  entomologists,  1  have  never 
heard  used  by  planters. 

Not  all  plants  showing  the  wilted  "  bud "  have  necessarily  been 
injured  by  the  Southern  corn  root-worm,  as  in  frequent  cases  wire- 
worms  have  been  found  to  be  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  Less  usually 
the  white  ant,  probably  Termes  jlavipes,  has  been  found  to  have  eaten 
into  the  stem  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  chewing  out  relatively 
large  cavities.  Injury  from  Avhite  ants  has  been  most  common  in 
fields  planted  to  cotton  the  previous  year,  and  the  decaying  stalks  on 
the  ground  have  in  most  cases  been  close  to  or  in  contact  with  the 
infested  corn  plant. 

Prof.  F.  M.  Webster  was  probably  the  first  to  indicate  the  injurious 
character  of  these  larva1  on  corn,  in  the  Report  of  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture  for  1887  (p.  148).  Mr.  Webster's  observations  were 
made  in  Louisiana,  and  while  from  the  article  referred  to  il  is  not 
apparent  whether  the  larva1  observed  were  actually  bred  into  the 
adult  condition  or  not.  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  from  his 
description  of  the  larvae  and  (heir  injury  but  that  these  were  larvae  of 
Didbrotica  12-punctata. 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  this  insect  has  been 
injurious  to  corn,  in  Georgia  at  least,  many  years  before  we  find  any 
reference  to  it  in  the  literature  of  economic  entomology.  Several 
different  Georgia  farmers,  who  are  quite  familiar  with  the  larvae  and 
their  work,  affirm  that  they  have  known  the  "  l)U(l  worm  "  ever  since 
they  can  remember,  which  in  some  instances  could  reasonably  be 
expected  to  extend  back  over  a  period  of  at  least  fifty  years. 

The  years  L889  and  L890  witnessed  a  rather  general  outbreak  of 
this  insect,  and  the  injury  to  corn  attracted  attention  over  quite  a 
large  area  of  country,  including  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  most  of 
the  Southern  Mates.     This  outbreak   was  the  occasion  of  a  careful 


study  of  the  pest,  and  from  L890  to  L893  several  important  contribu- 
tions were  made  to  our  knowledge  of  the  insect,  notably  by  Prof.  II. 
Garman,  Dr.  S.  A.  Forbes,  and  Dr.  C.  V.  Riley.  The  economic 
bibliography  of  I h<if>r<>t ;<<i  ffi-puncfata  includes  some  thirty  refer- 
ences, though  many  of  these  arc  brief  notes  relative  to  the  food 
habit-  «>f  tin-  adult-. 

During  the  present  spring  the  insect  ha-  been  quite  abundant  In 
Georgia,  and  it  has  been  the  object  of  considerable  complaint,  not 
Only  <>n  account  ot-  injury  to  corn  by  the  larva*,  but  on  account  of 
injury  to  the  foliage  of  various  plant-  by  the  adult-. 

d'he  first  beetle  observed  by  the  writer  was  <>n  March  12,  when  a 
gravid  female  was  found  in  a  road  extending  between  two  fields  of 
foil-sown  oat-.    March  L3,  twenty  minutes'  Bweeping  of  a  rye  field 

gave  two  do/en  beetle-,  all  gravid  females.     Some  of  these  deposited 

numerous  eggs  in  the  vials  bj  the  next  morning.  On  March  -*i  but 
few  beetles  were  t<>  be  found,  owing  to  the  cool  weather,  but  on  March 
28  they  were  exceedingly  abundant,  feeding  OD  rye.  oat-,  and  alfalfa. 

Something  like  seventy-five  if  ere  captured  in  a  few  minutes'  sweeping 
<»f  alfalfa.  The  females  captured  were  almost  all  heavy  with  eggs, 
these  showing  plainly  through  the  abdomen  as  apparently  fully  devel- 
oped.   Subsequent  occasional  sweepings  of  alfalfa  and  rye  indicated 

that  the  beetle-  wore  most  abundant  about  April   LO,  after  which  date 

there  was  a  very  pronounced  decrease  in  the  number  captured,  and 

many  of  the  beetle-  captured  had  evidently  oviposited. 

Most  coin  planted  on  the  station  had  made  it-  appearance  above  the 

soil  by  April  11.  and  careful  examination  wa-  made  almost  daily  to 
detect    the    beetle-   in   the  ad    of  Ovipositing.      No   beetle-,  however. 

were  observed  in  the  cornfields  until  the  L9th,  when  three  were  cap- 
tured, one  gravid,  the  other  two  having  evidently  oviposited.  By 
the  *J4th.  beetles  were  much  more  abundant  iii  cornfields,  and  were  no 
doubt  ovipositing,  though  I  could  never  detect  them  in  the  act.  An 

hour*-  starch  with  a  ' 4  bull's-eye lantern  on  each  of  two  different 

nights,  in  held-  where  beetles  had  been  -oinewhat  numerous  during 
the  preceding  afternoons,  failed  to  find  the  beetles  ovipositing.  They 
wore  apparently,  on  the  other  hand,  not  active,  many  of  them  in  more 
or  less  secluded  situations.  Beetles  wore  observed  to  be  more  numer- 
ous on  the  higher  parts  of  cornfields  than  on  the  bottom-,  which  is 
the  opposite  of  what  would  be  expected,  since  the  larva'  are  undoubt- 
edly more  numerous  in  wot  bottom  -oil-  than  elsewhere.  It  is  a 
prevalent  opinion  among  farmers  in  Georgia  that  eggs  are  deposited 
during  the  cool  nights  of  April,  and  it  may  be  that  ceo-  are  deposited 
mainly  at  night.  Early  morning  search  for  beetles  has  never  revealed 
them  active,  but  in  secluded  situation.-,  as  within  the  young  leaves  of 
a  corn  plant  or  under  trash  on  the  ground,  and  they  have  not  been 
observed  to  be  active  until  wanned  up  by  the  morning's  sun.  While 


38 


in  the  cornfields  the  beetles  do  not  feed  on  the  young  corn  plants  to 
any  extent,*  but  on  seedling  weeds.  They  have  been  observed  repeat- 
edly to  leave  corn  plants  and  crawl  here  and  there  on  the  ground  until 
finding  a  seedling  weed,  when  it  would  be  eaten  down  close  to  the 
ground. 

The  first  signs  of  injury  to  corn  were  observed  May  2,  when  numer- 
ous wilted  buds  were  discovered  in  a  low  plat  of  corn  on  a  low  situation 
on  the  farm.  Larvae  found  at  this  date  were  most  of  them  about  one- 
third  grown;  two  were  found,  however,  almost,  if  not  quite,  full  grown. 
The  two  weeks  of  hot  and  dry  weather  following  this  date  caused  a 
general  wilting  of  plants  badly  injured  in  the  crown,  and  frequent 
examinations  of  the  roots  of  infested  plants  were  made.  It  soon 
became  apparent  that  a  rather  small  proportion  of  the  larvae  among 
the  roots  of  plants  attacked  the  crown,  causing  the  death  of  the  plant; 
but  that,  probably  in  the  majority  of  cases,  the  larvae  fed  on  the  roots 
or  on  the  outside  and  under  the  stem  at  the  origin  of  the  roots.  Rarely 
were  the  roots  channeled  out  longitudinally,  but  more  usually  eaten 
into  or  eaten  quite  off.  On  the  side  of  and  below  the  stem  of  a  corn 
plant  in  four  or  five  leaves  channels  or  grooves  may  be  eaten,  the 
larvae  not  attempting  to  bore  into  the  heart.  Where  such  is  the  mode 
of  attack,  the  outer  leaves  are  likely  to  appear  more  or  less  }Tellow  or 
rusty  in  blotches,  or  even  yellow  and  dry.  When  the  roots  on\y  are 
attacked  but  little  injury  seems  to  result  to  the  corn;  in  fact,  many 
of  the  most  thrifty  plants  pulled  up  and  examined  had  as  many  as 
five  and  six  full-grown  larvae  among  the  roots.  In  a  word,  larvae  were 
found  quite  generally  among  the  roots  of  most  plants  on  low  soils,  as 
many  as  three  to  six  to  each  hill,  and  in  a  relatively  small  proportion  of 
cases  were  plants  attacked  at  the  crown,  causing  the  usual  wilting  of 
the  bud. 

The  first  pupa  found  in  the  field  was  May  8.  On  May  10  a  rather 
extended  search  proved  them  to  be  quite  numerous.  The  first  beetle 
of  the  new  brood  was  observed  May  12,  from  which  date  they  have 
become  increasingly  abundant.  At  this  writing,  June  12,  beetles  are 
quite  abundant,  feeding  mainly  on  the  blossoms  of  various  cucurbits. 

The  last  stragglers  of  the  over-wintered  brood  had  disappeared  by  the 
Lasi  week  in  May.  The  broods  are  thus  seen  to  overlap  somewhat,  but 
il  is  likely  that  these  stragglers  passed  the  winter  as  larva4  or  pupae, 
completing  their  development  in  the  spring. 

Beetles  have  been  observed  feeding  on  the  foliage  of  the  following 
plants:  rye.  oats,  alfalfa,  corn,  crimson  clover,  currants,  gooseberry, 
and  such  garden  vegetables  as  beans,  beets,  squash,  cantaloupes,  Water- 
melon, cabbage,  Irish  potatoes,  turnips,  tomatoes,  and  on  the  flowers 
of  apple,  pear,  quince,  plum,  peach,  and  cherry.  In  fact,  the  beetles 
seem  t<>  be  practically  omnivorous.  Larva1  have  been  found  on  the 
roots  of  corn,  rye,  Bromus  wrdloides,  and  garden  beans.  On  this  latter 
crop  considerable  injury  was  done,  larva*  boring  into  the  stem  and 


39 

eating  but  channels  up  the  stalk,  frequently  up  to  the  seed  leaves. 
The  beetle-  were  very  injurious  to  apple  bloom,  and  doubtless  aided 
much  in  the  general  distribution  of  pear  blight  that  has  occurred  in 

Georgia  this  year. 

LABORATORY  OBSBB1  ations. 

Egg  laying  was  repeatedly  observed  in  the  breeding  cages,  [n  ovi- 
positing the  stylus-like  ovipositor  is  pushed  dow  n  into  the  soil  to  a 
depth  of  from  one-eighth  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch,  where  it  is  held 
until  the  egg  is  forced  down  the  extensible  oviduct  and  out  at  the 
opening  at  the  base  of  tin-  ovipositor.  This  requires  usually  but  a  few 
seconds,  and  after  moving  b  short  distance  another  egg  may  be  depos- 
ited. 'The  writer  has  observed  a  beetle  thus  deposit  fifteen  eggs  in 
quick  succession.  Occasionally  the  ground  is  found  too  hard  for  pen- 
etration, when  another  trial  is  made.  Ordinarily  hul  one  egg  seems  to 
he  deposited  in  one  place,  but  occasionally  two  to  four  may  be  found 
together,  hi  close  (pjarterB,  as  in  a  rial,  or  even  under  a  medium -sized 
lamp  chimney,  twenty  to  thirty  eggs  have  been  found  together  in  a 
mass.  An  individual  gravid  beetle  confined  by  itself  usually  deposits 
the  majority,  if  not  all.  of  it-  eggs  in  a  few  hours,  and  my  observations 
as  a  whole  incline  me  to  believe  that  a  beetle  normally  will  deposit  its 
eggs  in  the  course  of  one  or  two  day-. 

Many  dissections  of  gravid  beetles  -how  that  the  number  of  eggs 
may  vary  from  62  to  ST.  with  an  average  of  about  7.V 

Eggs  secured  March  14  hatched  April  14:  eggs  secured  March  29 
hatched  April  :.'<>.  and  eggs  secured  April  24  hatched  May  1«'».  The 
variation  is  doubtless  due  to  the  difference  in  temperature,  .lust- 
hatched  larva'  are  quite  agile  and  make  their  way  readily  through  the 
soil.  Larvae  placed  on  the  root-  of  com  plant  in  one  end  of  a  root 
cage,  after  the  destruction  of  the  corn,  mad*'  their  way  through  the 
soil  to  a  plant  in  the  other  end  of  the  cage,  1"  inches  distant.  Larva' 
may  also  descend  some  8  or  1<»  inches  below  the  soil,  searching  for 
food,  as  was  witnessed  at  different  times  in  the  root  cages. 

The  larvae  hatched  from  eggs,  previously  mentioned,  on  April  14, 
pupated  May  L2,  spending  live  to  seven  day-  in  the  earthen  cell  before 
pupating.  The  adults  appeared  May  21,  the  life  cycle  in  this  case 
extending  oxer  a  period  of  about  nine  weeks. 

In  another  hatch  bred  through  eggs  secured  April  '2~>.  hatched  May 
8,  the  larva*  pupating  May  :!7.  adults  appeared  June  5,  thus  extending 
over  a  period  of  forty-one  days,  or  about  six  week-. 

EXPERIMENTS  WITH    MEANS  OF  CONTROL. 

Two  areas  were  chosen  of  about  one-half  acre  each,  on  low  and 
moisl  -oil.  on  which  to  test  the  effect  of  different  methods  of  planting 
and  the  effect  of  the  use  of  different  insecticidal  substances.  Each 
area  was  divided  into  27  plats,  and  treatment  for  the  two  area-,  plat 


40 


for  plat,  was  the  same,  thus  duplicating  the  work  on  two  different 
situations  on  the  farm.  Without  going-  into  detail,  1  will  mention 
some  of  the  ways  which  the  plats  received  treatment.  Corn  was 
planted  deep,  shallow,  early,  late,  with  an  excess  of  seed  in  the  hills, 
and  drilled.  In  one  plat  the  earth  was  listed  over  the  corn  just  as  it 
was  coming  through  the  soil.  In  another  plat  the  earth  was  thrown 
away  from  the  corn  as  much  as  possible,  thus  exposing  the  lower  part 
of  the  stalk  somewhat.  Plats  wero  planted  with  seed  corn  soaked  in 
strong  kerosene  emulsion,  in  diluted  kerosene  emulsion,  and  in  chloride 
of  lime.  Other  seed  were  coated  with  tar  and  with  sulphur  made 
adhesive  by  moistening  with  molasses.  One  plat  was  treated  with 
kainit,  at  the  rate  of  2,000  pounds  per  acre,  just  as  the  corn  was  coming 
through.  Another  plat  was  sprayed  with  kerosene  emulsion  around 
the  hills  as  corn  appeared  above  ground.  In  still  another  plat  a  hand- 
ful of  tobacco  dust  was  placed  in  each  hill  at  the  time  of  planting 
seed. 

By  May  12  the  corn  was  mostly  10  to  12  inches  high  and  the  major- 
ity of  larvae  were  from  two-thirds  to  full  grown.  At  this  date  six- 
teen hills  from  each  plat  were  carefully  dug  up,  the  larvae  counted, 
and  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  injury  noted.  In  this  work  it  soon 
became  apparent  that  the  various  methods  of  treatment,  except  late 
planting,  and  the  different  insecticides  employed  appeared  to  have  no 
appreciable  effect  in  reducing  the  number  of  larvae  as  compared  with 
the  untreated  checks.  Injury  resulted  to  seed  corn  soaked  in  strong 
kerosene  emulsion  for  six  hours,  about  60  per  cent  failing  to  germi- 
nate. Curiously  enough,  the  plats  receiving  kainit  at  the  rate  of  2,000 
pounds  per  acre  gave  a  larger  per  cent  of  larvae  than  any  of  the  others. 
This  may  have  been  due  to  the  moister  condition  of  the  soil,  following 
the  use  of  this  fertilizer. 

Corn  planted  May  4  was  but  little  injured,  by  this  date,  the  beetles 
mostly  having  deposited  their  eggs. 

In  the  case  of  plats,  where  an  excess  of  seed  (8  to  10)  was  dropped 
in  each  hill,  in  no  case  were  all  of  the  plants  in  a  hill  destroyed,  suf- 
ficient plants  being  left  for  a  good  stand,  and  in  most  hills  thining  out 
was  necessary.  In  plats  where  the  corn  was  drilled  the  injury  was 
relatively  small.  From  this  season's  work  it  appears  to  the  writer  that 
if  bottom  lands  are  planted  to  corn  late,  as  the  first  of  May,  or,  if 
eight  to  ten  grains  be  dropped  in  each  hill,  injury  from  the  Southern 
corn-rool  worm  may  be  practically  avoided  or  so  distributed  that  the 
damage  will  be  inconsequential. 


In  discussing  this  paper  Mr.  Webster  said  that  last  fall  he  had  step- 
ped off  a  portion  of  a  strawberry  bed  badly  infested  with  white  grub 
and  applied  kainit  at  the  pate  of  t,600  pounds  to  the  acre,  but  when  he 
came  to  count  the  grubs  he  found  more  in  the  portion  upon  which  he 


41 


had  applied  the  kainit.  He  could  not  Bee  any  reason  for  considering 
kainit  an  insecticide,  Be  had  tried  it  for  white  grubs,  strawberry 
root  borers,  rose  beetles,  and  wirewonns  and  could  not  see  that  it  had 
iny effect  upon  any  of  them.  It"  it  killed  one  single  individual  he  was 
not  able  to  see  it. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  said  In-  thought  there  was  a  oreat  deal  to  he  said 
against  kainit  and  a  good  deal  to  be  -aid  in  in  favor.  Perhaps  weather 
conditions  immediately  following  Hie  application  may  have  something 
to  do  with  its  efficacy.  F<>r  Instance,  a  lain  fall  mieht  add  to  its  insect  - 
icida]  value. 

Mr.  Webster  stated  that  he  had  taken  particular  pains  t<>  Apply 
water  to  carry  the  kainit  down,  hut  without  eti'ect. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  presented  the  following  paper: 

NOTES  ON  SOME  SOUTH  AFRICAN  TICKS. 

By  Oj  P.  Louxbbuby,  CfafM  Zbtm,  South  Africa. 

Tlie  purpose  of  these  note-  is  to  present  briefly  tin-  more  important 
of  a  Dumber  of  observations  made  in  recent  studies  on  the  habits  and 
associations  of  several  species  of  South  African  ticks.  The  notes  are 
made  from  memory,  and,  Lest  errors  should  creep  in.  detailed  particu- 
lars arc  not  attempted.   The  primary  object  of  the  studies  was  strictly 

economic,  it  heinj;  to  obtain  data  that  would  assist  in  determining  the 
courses  best  adapted  for  the  suppression  of  the  ticks.  Some  of  the 
specie--  have  long  been  a  deterrent  t<>  stock  farming  in  certain  parts  of 

the  Cape  Colony,  and  of  late  years  have  increased  to  an  extent  that 
threatens  the  progress  of  the  cattle  industries  in  several  districts. 
There  had  been,  inoreo\  cr.  a  suspicion  of  long  standing  in  the  country 
that  one.  at  Least,  of  the  species  was  in  some  way  associated  with  a 
generally  fatal  sheep  and  goat  disease  known  as  "  heart  water."  This 
disease  during  the  last  half  century  ha-  gradually  become  extended 
overs  tract  of  country  in  the  BOUtheast  of  the  colony  which  was  once 
capable  of  supporting  several  millions  of  sheep.  The  fowl  tick  con- 
sidered is  a  poultry  pest  common  to  many  warm-temperate  and  .sub- 
tropical lands.  It  is  the  Argas  amerioa/fWA  of  the  Southern  United 
States. 

THE  BOOT  TICK. 

The  tick  of  greatest  importance,  because  of  its  injuries  to  stock,  is 
Arnbly&mma  hebrasum  Koch,  commonly  known  as  the  bout  tick. 
"Bont"  is  a  Dutch  word,  equivalent  to  "variegated,"  and  its  applica- 
tion in  this  case  has  reference  to  the  mixed  coloring  on  the  back  of 
the  male.  The  bont  tick  is  supposed  to  have  spread  into  Cape  Colony 
from  the  eastward  between  sixty  and  >evcntv-livc  years  affO,  and  it  is 

still  restricted  to  southeastern  district- -  the  same  districts  in  which 
the  heart  water  disease  occurs.    It  is  the  largest  of  South  African 


42 


ticks,  and  perhaps  is  of  unrivaled  dimensions.  The  American  cattle 
tick  is  a  mere  pigmy  in  comparison.  The  bont  female  measures  up 
to  an  inch  in  length,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  width,  and  half  an 
inch  in  thickness.  After  engorgement  she  drops  from  her  host  and 
secretes  herself.  In  soft  sand  she  may  burrow  an  inch  or  two  down- 
ward, while  in  harder  soil  or  in  rubbish  she  may  rest  content  after 
burying  the  forepart  of  her  body.  She  lays  her  eggs  in  a  compact 
mass  anterior  to  herself  in  this  retreat  and  dies  at  her  post,  after  the 
completion  of  the  task.  Exceptionally  large  females  probably  deposit 
as  many  as  20,000  eggs;  a  careful  estimate  on  one  batch  of  eggs 
obtained  in  confinement  placed  the  total  number  at  about  17,500. 
Oviposition,  incubation,  and  all  the  other  periods  in  the  life  cycle  off 
of  the  host  vary  in  duration  with  the  temperature  of  the  surround- 
ings. Development  in  these  stages  proceeds  all  through  the  year,  but 
is  many  times  more  rapid  in  summer  than  in  winter.  The  winter 
season  in  the  area  infested  is  mild  and  dry,  without  snow  and  with  but  j 
few  hard  frosts.  The  young  ticks  ascend  the  grass,  bushes,  or  other 
support  above  them  and  there  patientbr  await  a  host.  The  passage  of  i 
animals  in  their  vicinit}T,  by  means  not  yet  satisfactorily  determined, 
arouses  their  attention  and  incites  them  to  run  about  clawing  the  air  i 
with  their  forelegs.  Attachment  to  a  passing  object  is  secured  by  the 
waving  legs,  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  tiny  creatures  are  brushed 
off  again  almost  immediately.  Such  unfortunates  must,  perforce, 
await  other  opportunities.  If  the  passing  object  prove  a  host  those 
that  contrive  to  maintain  their  hold  soon  find  the  skin  and  inserting 
their  rostra  proceed  to  gorge  themselves  on  the  blood.  The  opera- 
tion of  engorgement  ordinarily  requires  about  six  days.  Except  as 
regards  the  duration  of  the  different  periods,  the  habits  of  the  bont 
tick  from  the  dropping  of  the  female  to  the  engorgement  of  the  larva 
coincide  with  those  of  the  American  cattle  tick;  thereafter,  however, 
there  are  differences.  The  bont  larva  when  replete  with  blood  with- 
draws its  rostrum,  drops  from  the  animal  and  undergoes  its  metamor- 
phosis in  hiding  on  the  ground.  Sixteen  days  or  longer,  according  to 
the  temperature,  pass  before  the  larval  skin  ruptures  and  the  eight- 
legged,  flat-bodied  nymph  appears.  The  nymph  seeks  a  host  not  alone 
through  patient  waiting  and  waving  of  its  claw-armed  forelegs  but  by 
running  about  on  the  ground  when  an  animal  is  near.  Engorgement 
is  again  completed  about  the  sixth  day  and  the  tick  then  bears  a  super- 
ficial resemblance  to  the  gorged  female  of  the  common  cattle  tick;  it 
is,  however,  shorter  and  relatively  broader  and  of  a  different  shade  of 
blue.  Voluntary  droppingand,  after  an  interval  of  eighteen  days  or 
longer,  a  second  molting  follows.  The  tick  has  then  reached  the  adult 
stage.  The  sexes,  which  were  indistinguishable  in  the  earlier  stages, 
may  be  told  at  a  glance  when  adult.  They  have  similar  dimensions, 
but  the  markings  and  colors  are  dissimilar,  and  the  shield  of  the  male, 


43 


as  is  characteristic  of  the  Lxodidae,  covers  the  entire  dorsum,  while 
that  of  the  female  is  restricted  to  a  small  area  above  the  rostrum. 
The  adult  bout  tick  is  seldom  found  on  bushes  or  grass,  and  it  appears 
that  it  seeks  a  host  solely  from  the  ground.  The  male  takes  up  a 
position  independent  of  the  female,  and  after  several  days,  generally 
four  or  live,  he  makes  known  by  straightening  his  body  and  waving 
his  legs  when  one  of  the  opposite  sex  approaches  him  that  he  is 
prepared  for  a  mate.  The  female,  without  having  previously  fed, 
searches  about  until  an  eligible  male  is  found,  and  on  finding  one 
embraces  him  and  installs  herself  on  the  skin  with  her  ventrum 
opposed  to  his.  When  an  unpaired  eligible  male  is  wanting  the  female 
may  attach  herself  by  a  mated  couple,  but  she  randy  settles  down  dis- 
tant from  one  of  the  other  sex,  and  her  evident  object  in  settling  by  a 
couple  is  to  secure  the  male  after  the  other  female  leaves.  In  about 
eight  days  from  affixing  herself  to  a  host,  or  longer  it"  a  mate  is  not  at 
once  seemed,  the  female  becomes  fully  distended  with  blood  and  drops. 
[The  male  becomes  BOmewhat  thicker  in  body  but  DO  longer  or  wider, 
and  appears  t<>  subsist  not  on  blood  but  on  products  of  suppuration  in 
the  wound  he  makes.     He  may  remain  for  many  months  in  the  one 

position  and  mate  successively  with  a  number  of  females.  One  speci- 
men under  observation  has  been  attached  over  seven  months.  The  two 
sexes  are  produced  in  approximately  even  numbers,  but  the  males 
appear  to  predominate,  owing  to  their  longer  attachment. 

How  copulation  is  effected  has  not  been  determined  with  certainty. 
It  is  conjectured  thai  the  female  protrudes  an  organ  by  invagination, 
which  is  brought  into  intimate  contact  with  the  sexual  orifice  of  the 
male.  Mr.  Claude  Fuller,  the  Natal  entomologist,  called  my  attention 
to  the  probability  of  this  unique  means  for  intercourse  with  reaped  to 
another  [oxdid,  and  since  1  have  repeatedly  witnessed  the  quick  retrac- 
tion of  a  protruded  organ  by  the  female  of  the  bont  and  several  other 
Ixodiche  when  separating  couples.  The  invagination  may  be  similar 
to  that  which  occurs  in  the  process  of  oviposition.  The  male  orifice 
in  the  bont  and  some  other  species  is  beneath  a  rounded,  lid-like  shield 
which  open-  forward,  and  when  males  have  been  suddenly  parted  from 
their  mates  this  shield  has  ofttimes  been  observed  to  be  raised. 
Females  do  not  appeal-  able  to  complete  their  engorgement  until  they 
have  mated. 

The  bont  tick  infests  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  goats,  and  ostriches,  and 
probably  various  other  animals,  as  on  the  evidence  of  farmers  it  is  not 
infrequent  on  old  or  weakened  buffaloes  and  other  kinds  of  horned 
game.  It  attaches  itself  to  man  occasionally,  and  now  and  again  is 
found  on  the  barnyard  fowl.  Curiously,  mules  seem  to  become  less 
infected  than  horses.  That  it  may  mature  and  reproduce  when  reared 
on  horses,  cattle,  and  goats  has  been  established,  and  that  it  may  fully 
engorge  itself,  both  as  a  Larva  and  nymph,  on  ostriches  and  'afterwards 


44 


successfully  molt  has  also  been  affirmed.  The  adults  are  rarely  found 
on  the  back  or  high  on  the  flanks  of  the  animals.  They  get  most 
numerous  on  the  relatively  hairless  parts  under  the  shoulders,  between 
the  thighs,  about  the  genitalia  and  anus,  and  on  the  udder.  The  larvae 
and  nymphs  prefer  the  same  situations,  but  a  few  also  get  on  to  the 
back  and  flanks;  of  all  parts  they  appear  to  prefer  the  feet.  The 
adults  are  considered  responsible  for  the  formation  and  spread  of 
sores.  •  Such  sores  on  calves  may  involve  and  destroy  the  teats.  So 
serious  is  this  evil  that  on  some  farms  a  milch  cow  with  a  sound  udder 
is  exceptional. 

All  stages  of  the  bont  tick  may  fast  many  months  while  awaiting  a 
host.  Larvae  have  remained  alive  fully  seven  months  in  a  cork- 
stoppered  bottle,  and  a  single  adult  an  equally  long  time.  Females 
forcibly  detached  from  a  host  without  injuring  the  rostrum  may  sur- 
vive and  lay  fertile  eggs,  even  if  only  half  engorged.  Males  thus 
detached  rapidly  lose  vitality  and  generally  succumb  within  three 
days,  but  while  they  have  life  they  lose  no  opportunity  to  again 
attach  themselves,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  then  attack  even  the  hand  of 
a  man.  The  method  of  piercing  the  skin  may  be  easily  followed  in 
the  case  of  such  specimens. 

By  a  carefully  conducted  experiment  the  bont  tick  has  been  found 
by  the  writer  to  transmit  the  heart- water  disease  alluded  to  in  the 
opening  paragraph.  Larva?  were  reared  on  diseased  goats.  As 
nymphs  these  ticks  were  placed  on  healthy  goats  and  the  disease  pro- 
duced. Tn  one  instance  ten  ticks  transmitted  the  infection.  An 
account  of  the  experiment  is  given  in  the  Cape  Agricultural  Journal 
for  May  24, 1900.  It  appears  probable  that  the  bont  tick  may  also  com- 
municate "  redwateiv'  the  disease  known  in  America  as  Texas  fever. 
A  cow  purposely  infested  with  a  few  specimens  which  came  from  a 
redwater  area  contracted  the  disease  when  no  other  possible  source 
of  infection  appeared  present.  The  circumstances  surrounding  the 
incident  are  given  in  the  writer's  annual  report  for  1899  (Report  of 
Entomologist,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cape  of  Good  Hope). 

THE  BONT  LEG  TICK. 

The  second  largest  common  South  African  tick  is  Hyalomma  c&gyp- 
tiua  Audouin.  The  Dutch  colonists  know  it  as  " Bontepooten,,,  a 
term  suggested  by  bands  of  white  on  the  legs  of  the  adults,  and  from 
this  term  taken  the  English  colonists'  name  here  adopted.  This 
species  is  found  all  over  Cape  Colony,  but  is  best  known  in  the  dry, 
inland  districts.  It  occurs  in  other  parts  of  Africa  and  els 'where. 
The  fully  engorged  female-  sometimes  measures  four-fifths  of  an  inch 
in  length  and  over  a  half  inch  in  width.  The  life  cycle  has  not  been 
traced,  hut  scattered  observations  indicate  that  the  molting  and  host- 
securing  habits  are  similar  to  those  of  Amblyomina  hebrcBum.  The 


hosts,  too.  are  the  same.  It  is  more  frequently  a  subject  for  complaint 
with  sheep,  goat.  ;lI1d  ostrich  farmers  than  with  cattle  farmers,  but 
perhaps  this  is  because  it  chances  to  be  naturally  more  abundant  in 
the  districts  where  the  kinds  of  stock  first  mentioned  are  farmed.  It 
infests  much  the  same  situations  on  the  h<>-N  a-  the  bont  tick,  and  is 
a  frequent  cause  of  lameness,  particularly  in  sheep  and  goats.  Males 
predominate  on  a  beast  and  remain  a  long  time.  The  various  periods 
of  the  life  cycle,  so  far  as  these  are  known,  are  all  of  shorter  duration 
than  the  corresponding  periods  with  the  bont.  There  i-  presumed  to 
be.  ordinarily,  one  full  generation  in  the  course  of  a  year.  This 
species,  as  an  adult,  appears  to  far  oftener  attach  to  man  than  other 
South  African  Ixodida\  The  larva*  of  the  different  species  seem 
about  equally  troublesome  in  this  respect,  and  make  the  life  of  some 
people  in  tick  districts  one  of  frequent  misery. 

THE  BLUE   IK  K. 

••IHue  tick"  Lb  a  convenient  popular  name  for  RlUpioephahts  deed- 
bratus  Koch,  hut  in  reality  the  color  of  the  replete  female  the  stage 
in  the  life  cycle  most  commonly  observed  and  the  one  suggesting  the 
name  is  nearer  slate-gray  than  blue.  This  species  is  a  close  ally  to  the 
common  cattle  tick  of  America,  RMptcepkahu  anntdatus  Say, or, as  it 
is  more  familiarly  known,  BoophUus  bovis  Rile y.  Prof.  (i.  Neumann 
has  stated  to  the  writer  that  in  a  forthcoming  supplement  to  hi-  mono- 
graph on  ticks  he  expects  to  class  the  South  African  species  a-  a 
variety  of  the  American.  There  are.  however,  a  number  of  constant 
structural  differences  between  the  two  ticks,  a-  shown  bj  Mr.  Claude 
Fuller  in  the  Queensland  Agricultural  Journal  for  May.  L899,  pages 
189-394. 

The  blue  tick  is  by  far  the  most  abundant  of  South  African  ticks. 
It  is  found  almost  everywhere  in  (  ape  Colony,  and  sometimes  occurs 
in  such  numbers  on  cattle  as  to  quite  obscure  large  area-  of  the  skin. 
Few  farmers,  however,  regard  it  as  of  really  serious  importance;  and 
while  it  doubtless  severely  taxes  the  strength  of  animals  when  con- 
tinually abundant  on  them,  it  does  not  ordinarily  appear  t<>  affect  their 
condition  and  certainly  does  not  worry  them  to  near  the  extent  that 
the  two  larger  species  do.  Occasionally,  nevertheless,  calves  are 
reported  to  he  stunted  in  growth  and  even  destroyed.  Since  this 
species  is  probably  the  common  agent  for  the  transmission  of  South 
African  redwater  (Texas  fever)  as  is  surmised,  it  may  be  of  interest 
to  record  that  it  occurs  in  abundance  on  cattle  in  many  places  to  which 
the  disease  has  yet  to  spread. 

The  changes  from  larva  to  nymph  and  from  nymph  to  adult  take 
place  on  the  host.  Both  stages  feed  three  or  four  days  and  then 
remain  quiescent  about  the  same  length  of  time  with  the  rostrum  still 
affixed  to  the  flesh.    The  nymph  settles  near  the  larval  skin  and  the 


46 


adult  female,  too,  does  not  usually  wander  far.  The  sexes  look  much 
alike  at  first  despite  the  structural  differences.  The  mating  habits  are 
still  in  doubt,  but  numerous  females  have  been  observed  to  have  set- 
tled alone  and  to  have  later  been  joined  by  males.  Dating  from  the 
attachment  of  the  larva  the  females  begin  to  drop  in  about  twenty- 
four  days,  and  most  of  them  are  off  by  twenty-eight.  It  takes  but  a 
short  time,  only  a  week  or  ten  days  in  midsummer  to  prepare  the 
dropped  females  f or  oviposition  and  within  the  limits  of  three  summer 
months  one  life  cycle  may  be  completed  and  a  second  begun.  Larvae 
have  been  observed  to  remain  on  grass  tops  awaiting  a  host  through 
high  winds,  rains,  and  light  frosts.  Over  2.000  were  counted  at  the 
top  of  a  single  spear  of  grass. 

Cattle,  horses,  sheep,  and  goats  are  attacked  by  the  blue  tick.  It 
matures  on  all  in  numbers,  but  the  cattle  acquire  it  in  greatest  abund- 
ance. The  progeny  of  specimens  from  a  horse  have  been  reared  on  a 
cow;  that  of  specimens  from  a  cow  on  a  goat,  and  that  of  specimens 
from  a  goat  on  another  goat.  The  young  ticks  appear  practically 
indifferent  to  what  part  of  the  animal  they  attach,  yet  wander  more 
when  liberated  on  a  beast  than  do  the  larva?  of  some  other  species. 

THE  RED  TICK. 

The  red  tick,  UMpicephalns  evertsi  Neumann,  takes  its  common 
name  from  the  color  of  the  adults  of  both  sexes  prior  to  engorgement. 
It  has  a  wide  distribution  in  South  Africa  and  all  classes  of  farm 
animals  are  attacked  by  it.  Its  attack  is  generally  regarded  as  of  no 
consequence,  but  some  intelligent  farmers  attribute  a  temporary 
paralysis  of  the  limbs  of  sheep  and  goats  to  it;  when  the  particular 
tick  responsible  for  the  trouble  is  removed,  an  afflicted  animal  quickly 
recovers.  It  is  rarely  that  an  ox,  sheep,  goat,  or  horse  running  on 
unimproved  grazing  ground  in  Cape  Colony  is  entirely  free  of  this 
species  of  tick.  Although  the  red  tick  is  classified  as  congeneric  with 
the  blue,  the  habits  of  the  two  are  very  dissimilar.  The  larvae  of  the 
red  tick  have  a  decided  preference  for  the  inner  surface  of  the  ears,  and 
comparatively  few  are  found  elsewhere  on  an  animal.  After  three  or 
four  days  feeding  ceases,  and  about  the  seventh  day  the  nymph  appears, 
as  witli  the  blue  tick;  but  w^ith  repletion  in  the  nymphic  stage  the  tick 
withdraws  its  rostrum,  drops,  and  molts  on  the  ground,  after  the 
manner  of  the  bont  tick.  The  adults,  in  order  to  obtain  a  hold  on  a 
host,  habitually  rest  at  the  top  of  a  spear  of  grass  or  at  the  end  of  a 
twig  and  extend  their  forelegs  when  disturbed.  This  habit,  though 
common  to  the  Larvae  of  all  the  Ixodidse  mentioned  in  these  notes,  has; 
been  observed  only  in  the  adult  of  the  red  tick  and  two  congeneric 
specie-.  /,'.  <<tj>riisix  Koch  and  R.  J>nrsn  (().  Only  hairless  parts  of  air 
animal  attract  the  adults,  and  the  region  adjacent  to  the  anus  draws! 
more  of  them  than  all  the  remaining  surface  of  the  bod}  Partie 


47 


.  ularly  is  this  remarkable  fact  true  of  goats.  In  an  experiment  which 
•  involved  the  feeding  of  nearly  a  thousand  adults  on  four  ewes  practi- 
cally every  specimen  attached  itself  near  the  anus  or  vulva.  The  two 
Sexes  are  produced  in  nearly  even  numbers  from  a  batch  of  eggs. 
Each  settles  on  a  host  without  regard  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  the 
other;  but  after  a  few  days  of  feeding,  if  females  be  at  hand,  the  males 
release  their  hold  and  seek  mates.  Unmated  females  cease  to  swell 
after  a  few  days  and  remain  less  than  half  engorged  until  found  by 
[males.  Mated  females  swell  very  rapidly  during  the  day  prior  to  their 
dropping,  often  quite  doubling  their  dimensions.  The  dropping  nor- 
mally occurs  on  the  sixth  or  seventh  day.  The  females  are  then  some- 
what larger  in  all  their  measurements  than  the  blue  females. 

OTHEB  IXODID.K. 

Some  species  of  ticks  are  said  to  be  restricted  to  a  single  host  or  to 
hosts  generieally  allied,  and  on  thi>  account  it  may  be  of  some  interest 
to  record  that  Arriblyomma  devium  Koch,  a  tick  often  found  on  tor- 
toises  and  snakes  in  Cape  Colony,  has  been  removed  from  an  angora 
goat.  Two  specimens  only,  one  of  each  sex,  were  obtained  as  engorged 
nymphs.  The  determination  of  the  species  is  by  Prof.  C  Neumann, 
to  whom  it  may  here  be  acknowledged  I  am  indebted  for  affirmation 
>f  the  determination  of  all  the  species  mentioned  in  these  notes. 

Another  observation  worth  record  here  has  been  made  in  regard  to 
Ixodes  ptlosus  Koch.  The  male  of  this  species  seeks  the  female  and 
establishes  himself  on  her  ventrum  with  his  rostrum  buried  in  what 
ippears  to  be  her  sexual  oritice.     If  separated  he  .seeks  to  resume  the 

position.  Mr.  E.  J.  Wheeler, of  Almwick,  England,  has  observed  this 
puzzling  act  in  another  species  of  /./W<w  and  believes  it  to  be  that  of 
[copulation.  Lmth-s pilosus  is  about  the  size  of  the  blue  tick.  It  has 
been  taken  from  cattle,  horses,  goats,  and  hogs.  It  leaves  its  host  to 
molt  on  both  occasions. 

THE  TAMPA*  tick. 

The  "  tampai  "  is  an  Argasid,  Onithodoros  B&vignyi  Audouin.  Its 
life  cycle  has  not  been  traced,  but  among  collected  specimens  there 
appear  to  be  at  least  four  life  stages;  that  is,  one  more  than  occurs  in 
the  Ixodid  ticks.  The  tampan  is  a  most  repulsive  creature  in  appear- 
ance, with  an  extremely  tough,  leathery  skin  and  stout,  curiousl J  sculp- 
tured legs.  The  sexes  can  be  distinguished  only  by  examining  the 
genitalia;  at  leasl  no  other  certain  way  has  been  discovered.  When 
fully  engorged,  the  female  measures  up  to  half  an  inch  in  length  by 
ilmost  as  wide  and  half  as  thick.  Horses,  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  and 
nan  are  commonly  attacked  by  this  tick,  and  scores  of  specimens  lib- 
erated near  a  confined  barnyard  fowl  fed  to  repletion  on  that  animal. 
Che  feeding  habit  of  the  larvae  has  not  been  observed.    Thirty  or 


48 


forty  which  hatched  in  a  cardboard  box  molted  therein  to  an  eight- 
legged  form  without  having  partaken  of  food.  The  other  stages,  to 
draw  conclusions  from  observations  on  captured  specimens  afterwards 
fed  on  a  fowl  or  goat,  attach  themselves  by  night  or  day  to  the  host 
and  gorge  themselves  to  repletion  in  from  one-half  hour  to  two  hours. 
They  then  crawl  away  and  hide.  The  females  alternate  egg  laying 
with  feasting.  The  tampan  is  widely  distributed  in  South  Africa,  and 
in  some  sections  is  a  sore  trial  to  travelers. 

THE  FOWL  TICK. 

The  fowl  tick  of  South  Africa  has  been  identified  by  Professor 
Neumann  as  the  historic  Argas  persicus.  It  is  a  flattened,  ovate  crea- 
ture, with  a  peculiarly  stippled  dorsal  surface.  It  measures  about 
two-fifths  of  an  inch  wThen  full  grown.  Poultry,  geese,  and  ducks  are 
commonly  afflicted  with  it,  and  death  from  loss  of  blood  sometimes 
follows  severe  attacks,  particularly  in  the  case  of  young  birds.  Man 
is  sometimes  attacked. 

This  tick  molts  its  skin  three  times  before  becoming  adult.  The 
eggs  are  laid  loosety  in  crevices.  The  hexapod  larva  crawls  to  a  host, 
affixes  itself,  and  remains  attached  nearly  a  week.  The  body  mean- 
while distends  with  blood,  and,  toward  the  last,  undergoes  a  change  of 
form  which  gives  it  the  general  appearance  of  the  later  stages.  When 
fully  engorged,  the  larva  crawls  off  and  secretes  itself  in  some  crevice 
or  under  the  bark  of  a  tree  preparatoiy  to  molting.  In  its  later  stages 
the  tick  normally  visits  its  host  in  darkness,  remains  but  an  hour  or 
two.  and  during  this  short  time  distends  its  body  fully.  One  visit 
only  intervenes  with  a  molting.  The  adult  male  enlarges  but  little. 
The  adult  female  increases  all  its  dimensions  with  its  first  feast  after 
the  final  molt,  and  later  appears  to  simply  fill  itself  out  to  the  size 
then  attained.  It  alternates  feeding  with  egg  laying.  A  score  or 
more  of  specimens  under  observation  and  fed  on  a  caged  fowl  have 
thus  alternated  feasting  with  oviposition  four  times.  Intercourse 
between  the  sexes  has  only  thrice  been  observed.  In  all  three  cases 
the  male  had  his  rostrum  inserted  into  the  female.  Large  numbers  of 
both  sexes  have  been  fed  and  kept  boxed  in  company,  and  as  only  the 
three  pairs  have  been  seen  together,  some  observations  of  importance 
probably  remain  to  he  made.  Less  than  three  weeks  need  intervene 
between  the  feastings  of  the  nymphic  stages  and  a  month  those  of  the 
adults, 

The  vitality  of  the  fowl  tick  is  remarkable.  It  resists  insecticides, 
even  hydrocyanic-acid  gas.  far  more  than  the  bedbug  or  other  prover- 
bially hard-to-kill  pests.  The  larvae  may  be  soon  starved  to  death,  but 
t he  Inter  stages  live  on  through  months  of  fasting  and  succumb  only 
when  shriveled  to  a  dry  shell.  Several  have  remained  alive  over  a- 
year  in  cardboard  boxes  on  my  office  desk. 


49 


Mr.  Southwick  baring  invited  the  members  of  the  Association  to 
Inspect  his  spraying  outfit  in  Central  Park,  it  was  voted  to  accept  his 
invitation  and  to  visit  the  park,  for  the  purpose  mentioned,  at  1  p.  m. 
on  June  23. 

The  next  paper  was  presented  by  Mr.  Scott: 

NOTES  ON  COCCIDjE  OF  GEORGIA. 

By  W.  II.  Scott,  Atlanta,  <><>. 

Since  March.  L898,  the  writer  has  worked  the  State  of  Georgia  over 
with  the  secondary  purpose  of  making  a  collection  of  the  scale  insects 
occurring  within  the  bounds  of  the  State,  and  the  following  is  a  list  of 
the  collected  species,  with  hriel*  notes  on  their  habits. 

(1)  A#pidiotu8  pemiciosus  Comst. 

This,  the  San  Jose  scale,  Is  without  question  the  most  important 
.species,  economically,  that  occurs  in  the  State,  and  there  are  perhaps 
more  trees  infested  with  it  here  than  in  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 
Our  records  show  200  cases  of  this  scale  (principally  commercial  orch- 
ards), involving  over  a  half  million  tree-  (peaches  and  plums).  This 
does  not  include  the  garden  and  wayside  ca>e>.  of  which  there  are 
hundreds  in  some  of  the  lower  counties.  These  cases  are  distributed 
over  iVl  counties,  principally  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  only 
5  counties  north  of  Macon  having  been  found  infested.  It-  food 
plants  in  Georgia  are  recorded  as  peach,  plum,  apple,  pear,  Pnmus 
pissardii,  rose,  grape,  pecan,  Kilmornock  willow,  cottonwood,  and 
Carolina  poplar.  Robinson  and  wild-goose  plums  and  LeConte  and 
Kietl'er  pears  do  not  seem  to  be  congenial  host  plants  for  this  insect. 

e  These  varieties,  growing  in  the  same  orchards  with  other  varieties 
that  were  badly  infested  for  several  years,  never  developed  more  than 
a  slight  infestation.  In  the  treatment  of  this  pest  we  are  using  l!<>  per 
cent  kerosene  in  mechanical  mixture  with  water  on  orchard  trees  with 

j  satisfactory  results,  and  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  applied  to  nursery  stock. 
Last  February  and  March  the  writer  made  extensive  experiments 
with  the  use  of  crude  petroleum  a^  a  remedy  for  this  scale,  proving 
that       per  cent  of  the  crude  oil  gives  even  more  satisfactory  results 

a  than  the  refined  kerosene.  The  scales  were  killed  when  the  substance 
was  thoroughly  applied  and  no  damage  resulted  to  the  trees  (peaches 
and  plums).  The  pure  crude  petroleum  killed  peach  trees,  while  50 
per  cent  and  less  did  no  damage. 

(2)  Aspidioius  forbesi  Johnson. 

This  scale  insect  is  generally  distributed  over  the  State,  particularly 
throughout  middle  and  south  Georgia.    There  is  hardly  a  bearing- 
peach  or  plum  orchard  in  the  Stat*1  entirely  free  from  it  and  in  a  mira- 
6878— No,  -2<'>  4 


50 


ber  of  cases  it  has  caused  serious  damage.  It  occurs  on  peach,  plum, 
apple,  pear.  Rohinia  pseudacacice,  and  "  Climbing  Jasmine." 

Whale-oil  soap  at  the  rate  of  1  pound  to  1  gallon  of  water,  and  20 
per  cent  kerosene,  as  winter  washes  are  the  remedies  generally  used. 

(3)  Aspidiotus  ancylus  Putn. 

Quite  generally  distributed  over  the  State  on  apple,  oak,  osage 
orange,  Gleditschia  triacanthos,  TJlmus  americana,  and  Popidus  trem- 
uiloides,  but  never  occurs  in  perceptibly  injurious  numbers. 

(4)  Aspidiotus  osborni  Newell  &  Ckll. 

Taken  on  Quercus  aquatica  at  Atlanta,  Fort  Valley,  Marshall viile, 
Tifton,  and  Poulan,  Ga. 

According  to  Mr.  Marlatt  (in  litt.)  the  distinctness  of  this  species 
from  A.  ancylus  is  doubtful. 

(5)  Asp  idiot  i  is  )  uglans-regicB  Comst . 

Occurs  very  abundantly  in  extreme  south  Georgia,  but  rarely  in 
middle  Georgia,  on  peach,  plum,  and  prickly  ash.  In  a  few  instances 
it  has  been  seriously  injurious,  necessitating  treatment. 

(6)  Aspidiotus  hederce  Vail. 

This  species  occurs  in  south  Georgia,  badty  infesting  China  trees  and 
oleander,  and  is  a  common  pest  in  most  of  the  greenhouses  of  the 
State;  on  palms,  Cycas  revoluta,  Jasminium  grandijlora,  and  orange. 
The  treatment  generally  adopted  by  florists  is  lemon-oil  wash. 

(7)  Asp  idiotus  fie  us  Ashm. 

This  is  a  bad  pest  in  most  of  the  greenhouses  in  the  State,  on  palms, 
Cycas  revoluta,  and  ferns.  The  writer  has  made  extensive  experi- 
ments at  Augusta  and  Marshallville  on  the  use  of  Irydrocyanic-acid  gas 
as  a  remedy  for  greenhouse  pests,  with  the  result  that  A.  ficus  and 
other  greenhouse  insects  were  destroyed  by  the  gas.  No  injury 
resulted  to  the  common  run  of  greenhouse  plants  where  the  remedy 
was  properly  applied. 

(8)  Aspidiotus  oydon  im  Comstock. 

Found  in  a  greenhouse  at  Savannah  on  Cycas  n  voluta. 

(9)  Aspidiotus  urm  Comst. 

This  species  is  common  in  Atlanta  on  the  sycamores  used  for  shade 
trees.  According  to  Mr.  Marlatt,  who  identified  tin1  specimens,  it  has 
not  hitherto  been  known  to  occur  on  this  food  plant. 

(10)  .  \spidiotns  t>  ixhricosu*  Comst. 

As  a  rule  the  maple  shade  trees  all  over  the  State  are  infested  with 
this  >cale  insect.  The  damage  to  these  shade  trees  in  the  cities  is  great, 
finally  causing  their  death. 

(11)  Aspidiotus  obscurus  Comst. 

This  is  a  very  abundant  species  widely  distributed  over  the  State  on 
oaks.  It  Is  quite  injurious  t<>  the  oak  shade  trees  in  the  cities  and  also 
occurs  on  <>aks  in  the  forests,  and  on  hickory  at  Macon,  Ga. 


51 


AspidiotuB  camellia  Sign. 
Found  ;it  Augusta.  Thomasville,  and  Okapilco,  Ga.,  on  peach,  grape, 
heliotrope.  Arbor-vit®,  and  ChUopsis  li/nearis. 

(13)  I)i<isjt  'ts  tinn/(/(hiI !  Tryon. 

This  species  occurs  at  Irby.  A>hburn,  Thoinasvillc.  and  Haiti  bridge, 
(ia..  on  peaches  and  plums,  and  on  lilac  at  Ashburn.  It  ranks  next 
to  the  San  .lose  scale  in  economic  importance  when  once  it  becomes 
established  in  an  orchard.  On  October  6,  L898,  the  writer  found  this 
scale  infesting  an  orchard  of  2.~>.nno  peach  tree- at  Irby,  Ga.:  10,000 
of  these  trees  were  fairly  encrusted  and  in  a  dying  condition.  Being 
beyond  the  hope  of  recovery,  they  were  dog  up.  The  insects  had 
spread  to  an  adjoining  orchard  of  12,000  trees,  w  here  they  were  doing 
Immense  damage.  The  case  at  Ashburn  involved  about  l.ooo  trees, 
all  of  which  were  destroyed  by  this  pest. 

In  LstJS  the  w  riter  observed  that  the  first  brood  began  to  issue  the 
12th  of  March,  and  by  tin-   Lst  of  April  the  young  were  about  all 

hatched.  As  a  remedy  we  use  kerosene  in  mechanical  mixture  w  ith 
water  at  the  rate  of  i'"1  per  cent  applied  in  the  fall  after  the  foliage  is 
shed  from  the  trees,  or  lo  per  cent  applied  in  the  spring  immediately 
after  the  first  brood  has  issued. 

(14)  Dicutpis  cacti  ( Jomst 

Occurs  on  cactus  and  pineapple  in  several  greenhouses  in  south 
Georgia. 

(15)  Aulftcaxpi*  rttmv  Bouche. 

This  is  a  common  pest  quite  well  distributed  over  the  State  on  cul- 
tivated and  w  ild  roses,  Ridnts  occidentals  and  Rubus  villosus. 

(U>)  Parhitnrin  j><  ryiimli  /  ( 'omst. 

The  writer  has  collected  t his  species  at  Cairo,  Ga.,  on  dwarf  orange, 

and  at  Savannah,  Ga..  on  dfaranta  massangeana. 
(IT)  Parlatoria  zizyphus  Lucas. 

Found  on  lemons  from  Italy  exposed  for  sale  in  Atlanta  and  Car- 
rollton,  Ga. 

(18)  MytiiaspisporrwTv/m  Bouche. 

Generally  distributed  over  the  State  on  apple,  peach,  and  plum.  It 
has  proved  very  injurious  in  a  few  cases. 
(1!>)  Mytdlaspisgloverii  Pack. 

Found  at  Marshallville,  Ga.,  on  orange  in  a  greenhouse,  and  on 
magnolia  fuscata. 
(20)  Mytilaspis  citrlcola  Pack. 

Found  on  dwarf  orange  in  a  greenhouse  at  Thomasville,  Ga.  It  is 
also  common  on  oranges  from  Florida  exposed  for  sale  in  Atlanta,  Ga. 
(*2i)  Chionaspis  furfura  Fitch. 

This  species  has  been  found  at  Fort  Valley,  Marshallville,  Albany, 
and  Thomson.  Ga.;  on  peach,  plum,  and  apple.    In  the  Marshallville 


52 

sec  tion  it  is  surprisingly  destructive.  On  April  13,  1900.  the  writer 
examined  an  orchard  of  2,000  Robinson  plums  in  that  section  that  wai 
thoroughly  infested  with  this  scale.  Scarcely  a  tree  could  be  found 
that  was  free  from  it,  and  most  of  them  were  encrusted  from  the 
ground  to  the  tips  of  the  twigs.  Branches  that  had  been  killed  by 
the  scale  the  previous  fall  still  retained  their  old  leaves. 

At  the  above  date  the  young  had  apparently  been  hatched  for 
several  days.  They  covered  the  branches  and  the  white  filamentous 
wax  exuded  by  the  larvae  was  profuse.  No  effort  was  made  to  saV£ 
the  trees  and  they  were  duo-  up  ;  however,  not  before  the  scale  had 
spread  to  an  adjoining  peach  orchard,  which  became  badly  infested. 

(22)  ( 'hionaspis  eucm/ymi  Comst. 

Found  severely  infesting  a  hedge  of  euonymus  at  Decatur,  Ga.  It 
became  so  injurious  that  the  hedge  was  destroyed. 

(23)  ( 'h  ion  aspis  american a  J ohnson . 

This  species  is  quite  injurious  to  TJhm  us  americana,  used  as  shade  trees 
in  Atlanta.  Augusta,  and  Americus,  Ga..  and  undoubtedly  occurs  in 
many  other  cities  of  the  State. 

(24)  Chionaspis  nyssce  Comst. 

Found  in  great  abundance  on  JVyssa  sylvatica  in  a  forest  near  Powder 
Springs,  Ga.  The  females  were  confined  to  the  trunk  and  branches, 
while  the  males  were  principally  upon  the  leaves. 

(25)  Tschnaspis  longi/rostris  Sign. 

On  Kentia  bdmoriana  in  a  greenhouse  at  Atlanta.  Ga. 
(2t>)  Florin  iu  jiorinup  Targ. 

Found  in  greenhouses  at  Thomasville  and  Augusta.  Ga..  on  Camellia 
japonica  and  Cycas  revoluta . 

(27)  Pvlvinaria  immunerabilis  Rath. 

Occurs  sparsely  on  oak.  elm,  and  sycamore  at  Atlanta.  Austell,  and 
Tifton.  Ga. 

(28)  Palrl, atria  aver  kola  W.  cSc  R, 

On  June  1,  1900,  the  writer  examined  two  maple  shade  trees  (Ae& 
dasyca  ,,,  /)  in  Atlanta  that  were  thoroughly  infested  with  thisspecies. 
They  were  crowded  on  the  branches,  while  the  leaves  were  not  so  badly 
infested.  At  the  date  named  a  considerable  per  cent  of  the  females 
had  extruded  their  ovisacs,  and.  peculiarly  enough,  the  majority  of 
them  did  not  migrate  to  the  leaves.  This  species  also  occurs  abun- 
dantly on  Acer pennsylvaniewn  in  Atlanta. 
(•_>!»)  /*al  rlaarla  amygrfafi  Ckll. 

This  COCcid  occurs  in  injurious  numbers  on  plums  at  Albany,  Pine 
City,  Marshallville,  and  Fort  Valley,  Ga.  It  also  occurs  on  apples  at 
Albany,  ( ra. 

(30)  I i>'n,(i r'ia  macl/UTCB  Konnicott  in  Fitch. 
Pound  <>n  OSage  orange  in  Atlanta.  Ga, 


53 


(31)  Lecanium  nigrofa^ciatwm  Pergande. 

This  is  ;i  common  pest  in  south  and  middle  Georgia,  but  rarely  occurs 
in  north  Georgia.  It  spasmodically  occurs  in  injurious  numbers  and 
is  particularly  abundant  this  season.  Some  large  orchards  in  the  Fort 
Valley  >ection  arc  now  suffering  severely  from  the  attacks  of  this  pest 
CVJ)  Lecanium  hemisphafricwm,  Targ. 

A  common  pest  in  most  of  the  greenhouses  <>t"  tin'  State  on  terns. 
pahn<.  orange,  and  oleander. 
■8)  Lecani/um  hesperidum  Linn. 

Very  common  in  several  Localities  of  the  State,  both  in  greenhouses 
and  outside,  on  palms,  ferns.  Phlox drurrwwndii,  and  Vxnca  variagata. 

(34)  Lecanium.  tessettctfum  Sign. 

Found  <»n  Caryota  urens  in  the  greenhouses  at  Augusta  and  Savan- 
nah. ( ra. 

(35)  Lecani/um  longulum  Dougl. 

Very  abundant  on  roses  in  a  greenhouse  at  Savannah.  Gra. 
(3<>)  Lecanium  fu/ijuf,  ra  'Cook. 

An  injurious  species  on  Magnolia  fuscata  at Thomasville and A  n  d  e  r- 
sonville.  ( la. 

(37)  Leca/nvwm  arrnenMOUtn  (  raw. 

This  species  occurs  very  abundantly  on  water  oak  in  many  Localities 
of  the  State,  and  i-  occasionally  found  on  plum-. 

(3-N  Veroplastes  cerripediformm  Comst. 

Taken  at  Thomasville  and  Yaldosta.  Ga..  on  quince  and  Eupatorwom. 

(3!»)  Lecan iodiaspi^  teueUatm  CklL 

This  coccid  occurs  in  greal  numbers  on  native  persimmons  at  Marcus, 
latonton,  Hamilton,  and  Macon.  Gra. 

(4<»)    A'  rim  s  t  ri  Itnfilt  us  Bogue  MS. 

The  writer  first  collected  this  species  on  (Jwrru*  aquatica  al  Atlanta. 
Ga..  August  21.  lsiw.  Later.  Professor  Quaintanoe  and  li«  collected 
it  in  quantity  at  Tifton,  Gra.  Specimens  were  submitted  to  Professor 
Bourne,  and  he  has  described  it  under  the  above  name  to  be  published 
in  the  Canadian  Entomologist  (Bogue  in  litt.) 
(41)  I\>  rmes  n.  sp. 

This  species  was  collected  by  the  writer  on  (Jar-rcas,  xte-Uata  at 
Atlanta.  Ga.,  May  26,  L900,  and  later  found  at  Griffin  and  Coleman, 
Ga.,  on  the  same  species  of  oak.  It  occurs  on  the  twiyf?  and  on  tin4 
midrib  and  veins  of  the  leaf.  Specimens  were  submitted  to  Professor 
Bogue,  who  has  pronounced  it  a  new  species. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  writer  in  person  has  collected  all  of  the  -±1  species  recorded  in 
this  paper,  besides  which  he  has  collected  7  species  not  yet  determined, 
viz,  two  of  the  genus  Aspidiotus,  one  each  of  the  genera  Chionaspis. 
Diaspis,  Pulvinaria,  Dactylopius,  and  Eriococcus. 


54 


The  writer  is  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  L.  0.  Howard  and  his  assist- 
ants. Messrs.  Marlatt  and  Pergande;  also  Professors  Bogue,  Cooley, 
and  King,  all  of  whom  took  part  in  the  study  and  identification  of  the 
Cocci  dse  recorded  in  this  paper. 


In  discussing  this  paper  Mr.  Fernald  stated  that  he  deemed  it  worthy 
of  mention  that  Diaspis  amygdali  has  now  been  reported  from  five 
places  in  Massachusetts,  all  near  Boston,  all  upon  trees  used  for  shrub- 
bery or  ornamental  trees  of  various  kinds,  and  that  in  each  case  it  has 
been  traced  to  plants  bought  of  a  nursery  importing  direct  from  Japan. 
It  does  not  seem  to  spread  rapidly  from  tree  to  tree  or  plant  to  plant, 
but  it  is  nevertheless  very  effectual  in  crushing  out  the  life  of  the  plant 
it  is  on,  and  has  survived  very  severe  weather. 

Mr.  Kirkland  said  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  nursery  in  question, 
as  he  had  been  there  once  or  twice  and  had  seen  shipments  just  un- 
packed from  Japan  which  were  infested  with  D.  amygdali. 

Adjourned  until  9  a.  m..  June  23. 

MORNING  SESSION,  JUNE  23. 

The  Association  met  in  joint  session  with  the  Society  for  the  Promo- 
tion of  Agricultural  Science,  the  chair  being  occupied  by  President 
Beal,  of  the  latter  society. 

PRESIDENTIAL  ADDRESS. 

[Withdrawn  for  publication  elsewhere.] 

The  first  paper  read  was  the  annual  address  of  President  Beal,  which 
will  be  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Agricultural  Science. 

Mr.  Howard  read  the  next  paper,  entitled: 

PROGRESS  IN  ECONOMIC  ENTOMOLOGY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

By  I>.  ( ).  Howard. 
[Printed  in  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1899.] 


The  next  paper,  by  Mr.  Gillette,  was  entitled: 

APIARY  NOTES. 

By  Clarence  P.  Gillette,  Fort  Collins,  Colo. 
[Withdrawn  for  publication  elsewhere.] 


55 


The  next  paper  was  entitled: 

NOTES  UPON  THE  DESTRUCTIVE  GREEN  PEA  LOUSE  (NECTARO- 
PHORA  DESTRUCTOR  JOHNS.  |  FOR  1900. 

By  W.  G.  Johnson,  College  Park,  Md. 

Perhaps  no  insect  in  recent  year-  has  attracted  more  attention  than 
the  destructive  green  pen  louse.  It  became  conspicuous,  first,  on 
account  of  its  ravenous  attacks  upon  pea  fields,  a  crop  heretofore 
practically  immune  from  the  ravages  of  insect-:  and.  secondly,  from 
the  fact  that  it  was  a  species  not  recorded  in  science.  What  condition 
in  nature  was  responsible  for  such  a  general  distribution  of  a  new 
species  of  insect  the  writer  will  not  attempt  to  discuss  in  this  short 
paper.  It  appeared  Last  year,  and  was  recorded  for  the  first  time,  from 
Maine  along  the  Atlantic  coast  southward  to  North  Carolina,  and  west- 
ward to  Wooster,  Ohio.  It  was  also  observed  in  Nova  Scotia  and 
Ottawa,  Canada.  I  had  it  sent  to  me  from  Massachusetts  and  Ver- 
mont in  duly  and  August,  and  complaints  of  Its  serious  nature  have 
come  to  me  from  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  Long  [sland,  N.  Y..  portions  of 
New  Jersey,  and  Wisconsin  (August).  I  first  observed  the  pest  May 
18,  1899,  and  have  had  it  under  constant  observation  from  that  date  to 
pie  present  writing.  I  described  the  newcomer  in  the  February  issue 
of  the  Canadian  Entomologist  a>  Nectarophora  destructor.  A  \  ere- 
long name.  I  admit,  but  if  there  i>*  anything  in  a  name  being  a  burden 
to  its  possessor,  we  hope  that  this  one  will  accomplish  such  a  purpose. 

From  the  first  I  have  held  that  this  insect  is  probably  a  clover  pest. 
It  has  been  observed  upon  both  red  and  crimson  clover,  and  t  hi-  season 
hundreds  of  acres  of  red  clover  have  been  destroyed  by  it.  In  one 
instance,  reported  to  me  dune  \:\.  Mr.  ( \  Silas  Thomas,  of  Lander, 
Frederick  County,  Md.,  stated  that  the  pest  had  almost  entirely  ruined 
ti5  acres  of  red  clover  for  him.  Many  other  cases  of  a  similar  nature 
were  reported  or  observed  by  us.  The  attack  has  been  very  common 
upon  crimson  clover  also,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  a  field  being"  killed 
by  it.  That  clover,  and  perhaps  the  red  clover,  is  its  original  food 
plant  seems  quite  conclusive  from  our  experiments  and  observations. 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  red  clover  is  its  original  food,  and  that  it  is, 
therefore,  primarily  a  clover  pest.  Without  doubt  it  is  a  native  Ameri- 
can insect,  and  has  spread  its  attacks  to  crimson  clover  and  field  peas, 
as  these  two  plants  have  encroached  upon  the  feeding-  ground  of  the 
Louse,  h  spends  the  winter,  at  least  in  the  South,  as  an  adult  in  clover 
fields.    It  may  winter  in  another  form  farther  north. 

It  is  barely  possible  that  this  insect  lias  other  food  plants  and  lives 
over  winter  upon  them,  but  clover  is,  no  doubt,  the  main  plant  upon 
which  it  lives.  Mr.  F.  H.  Chittenden,  of  the  U.  8.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  Division  of  Entomology,  in  Washington,  observed  this 


56 


insect,  or  one  very  closely  allied  to  it.  feeding  upon  a  number  of 
species  of  vetches  in  Washington  this  year.  From  a  long  series  of 
experiments  here  in  the  laboratory  we  have  shown  that  there  are  two 
kinds  of  females  known  at  present,  the  winged  and  wingless  forms. 
No  male  has  as  yet  been  discovered,  and  perhaps  in  the  South  none 
exists,  and  the  insect  remains  over  winter  in  the  adult  stage,  as  stated 
above,  upon  some  plant,  and  in  most  instances  this  is  clover.  The 
female  produces  living  young  which  reach  maturity  in  from  ten  to 
fifteen  days,  and  possibly  less  time  in  hot  weather.  As  an  example,  a 
young  one  born  March  1  reached  maturity  (winged  form)  March  16, 
or  twelve  days  from  time  of  birth,  and  was  producing  living  young  on 
March  19.  From  March  19  to  April  17  it  became  the  mother  of  111 
young,  and  died  on  the  latter  date.  Her  first  young  (wingless  form), 
born  March  19.  reached  maturity  and  was  producing  on  March  31.  or 
eleven  days  from  time  of  birth.  From  March  31  to  April  13  she  gave 
birth  to  120  young  and  died.  We  have  made  many  other  observations 
of  a  similar  character,  but  this  will  suffice  to  show  the  rapid  repro- 
ductive powers  of  this  insect,  and  we  might  state  that  in  many  instances 
where  this  insect  was  first  observed  May  1.  three  weeks  later  the  fields 
were  abandoned  on  account  of  its  attacks.  Calculating  from  the 
average  number  of  insects  produced  per  day  (which  is  6)  in  six  weeks 
one  would  become  the  progenitor  of  423,912. 

It  was  estimated  last  year  that  the  total  loss  from  the  attacks  of  this 
creature  along  the  Atlantic  coast  States  was  $3,000,000,  and  that  the 
crop  was  estimated  at  only  one-half  the  usual  output.  From  close 
communion  with  the  largest  growers,  the  most  experienced  seedsmen, 
and  most  extensive  business  men  in  this  line  of  business.  The  Trade, 
a  canned-goods  journal  published  in  Baltimore,  has  gathered  the  infor- 
mation that  the  crop  of  peas  of  the  Atlantic  coast  this  year  will  not 
exceed,  on  the  outside,  one-third  of  what  it  was  last  year.  This  is 
about  as  serious  as  it  can  be,  when  it  is  taken  into  account  that  it  is 
mostly  due  to  this  one  pest,  and  that  it  is  certain  to  increase  its 
destructive  powers  from  year  to  year,  unless  some  factor  in  nature 
intervenes  to  check  and  retard  its  further  development.  With  this  con- 
dition of  affairs  it  is  not  strange  that  farmers  have  become  thoroughly 
discouraged,  and  make  the  statement  that  they  will  be  more  cautious 
about  planting  peas  for  market  purposes  or  for  the  packer  in  the 
future.  With  this  year's  experience,  however,  we  have  shown  con- 
clusively in  our  experiments  and  practical  work  in  the  field  that  this 
in>e<  1  can  be  kept  in  control  to  a  very  great  extent  if  taken  in  hand  in 
time.  In  the  first  place,  the  peas  must  be  planted  in  rows  24  or  30 
inches  apart,  us  shown  in  the  illustration  (PI.  I,  fig.  1),  and  not  broad- 
east  or  in  drills,  as  has  been  the  case  over  a  wide  area  throuo-hout 
many  of  the  Southern  States.  As  an  illustration  of  this  we  might  cite 
an  instance  on  the  place  of  Mr.  ( '.  II.  Pearson,  a  large  packer  of  Balti- 


Bui.  No  26,  new  series,  Div.  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr. 


Plate  I. 


Fig.  I.    Spraying  Pea-,  with  Tobacco-whale-oil  Soap,  showing  Method  of  Preparation  and  Application. 

(Author  s  photograph.) 


Fig.  2.— Section  of  a  600-acre  Pea  Field.  Rows  one  mile  long,  showing  Spraying  Outfit  ready  for  work. 
Peas  finally  saved  by  Brush-and-cultivator  Method 

(Author  s  photograph,  i 


Bo  .  No.  26  new  series,  Div  of  Entomology  U.  S  Dept  Agr. 


Plate  II. 


Fig.  2. — Field  of  Peas  saved  by  the  Brush-and-pan  Method,  showing  the  Apparatus  Used. 

(Author's  photograph,  i 


57 


more.  His  600-acre  pea  plantation  was  practically  saved  by  persistent 
and  energetic  efforts  on  his  part  this  season.  All  the  methods  from  a 
practical  standpoint  were  tried  on  this  place,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
brush  and  cultivator  method  (see  illustration,  PL  II,  tig.  1)  was  the 
most  effective.  Forty  men  wei  r  therefore  engaged  to  work  in  the  field, 
and  tin-  600  acres  were  brushed  and  cultivated  every  third  day  for  a 
period  of  two  weeks,  and  in  this  manner  the  entire  Held  was  saved, 
netting  the  owner  from  2.">,<mmi  to  :->><>. ooo  cases  of  peas  of  '2  dozen  each. 
It  is  a  tin  t  which  i-  not  questioned  by  those  who  are  familiar  with  this 
plantation  that  had  not  this  persistent  and  energetic  tight  been  fol- 
lowed, the  greater  portion  of  the  peas  would  have  been  destroyed  by 
the  insect.  Last  year  the  peas  over  the  same  area  were  broadcast,  so 
there  was  no  opportunity  of  lighting  the  pest,  and  as  a  consequence 
480  acres  were  entirely  ruined  by  it.  as  reported  last  year  before  this 
Association  (Bui.  No.  20,  n.  >..  Div.  Ent,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr..  p.  i>4). 
This  year,  by  changing  the  method,  and  by  a  new  system  of  lighting 
the  pest,  the  peas  have  been  saved.  Many  other  illustrations  of  a 
similar  nature  could  be  given  where  we  have  been  following  this 
method  persistently  in  (hi-  State. 

The  brush  and  cultivator  method  is  a  simple  one, and  the  implements 
for  this  method  arc  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  PI.  II. 
tig.  2,  which  represents  a  field  of  peas  which  was  saved  by  brushing  and 
Cultivating.  We  might  state,  however,  that  a  field  not  far  distant 
from  the  one  shown  in  the  figure,  where  nothing  was  done,  was  totally 
ruined  by  the  pest.  A  good  pine  -witch  i-  used  to  brush  the  vines 
backward  and  forward  ahead  of  the  Iron  Age  cultivator,  drawn  by 
one  horse,  and  in  this  manner  the  insects  are  covered  and  a  very  large 
proportion  of  them  destroyed.  The  cultivation  should  not  be  repeated 
until  the  third  day.  as  it  requires  usually  something  over  forty-eight 
hours  for  the  destruction  of  the  adult  insects  when  covered  with  earth. 
On  this  plantation  we  also  sprayed  a  large  acreage  to  show  the  practi- 
cal sideof  this  work,  and  the  outfit  just  ready  to  begin  work  is  shown  in 
PI.  I.  lig.  2.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  we  have  found  that  DO  spray  can  be 
used  which  can  destroy  a  percentage  of  insects  large  enough  to  warrant 
the  expense  of  the  operation.  In  this  instance  we  sprayed  100  acres 
in  two  days,  and  thoroughly  tested  t lie  method  from  every  standpoint, 
using  various  materials.  We  abandoned  the  spraying  apparatus,  and 
began  the  brush  and  cultivator  method,  w  hich  was  followed  up  per- 
sistently, with  the  re>ult>  already  noted.     We  have  also  used  the 

brush  and  pan,"  as  shown  in  the  illustration  (PI.  II.  lig.  2),  in  which 
instance  a  bushel  of  lice  were  caught  to  each  row,  125  rods  long. 

Many  natural  enemies,  such  as  parasitic  and  predaceous  insects,  have 
been  found  feeding  upon  this  pest  in  the  fields,  and  in  this  manner,  no 
doubt,  the  number  has  been  somewhat  reduced.  The  most  important 
factor,  however,  we  have  observed  in  the  destruction  of  this  pest  has 


58 


been  the  fungous  disease,  Emjmsa  aphidis,  which  was  common  the 
early  part  of  the  season  upon  this  insect,  in  both  clover  and  pea  fields. 
It  is  a  contagious  disease,  and  destroys  the  pest  in  very  large  numbers, 
under  certain  conditions.  In  one  instance  we  found  58  dead  lice  upon 
the  under  surface  of  a  single  lobe  of  a  clover  leaf,  and  it  was  not  an 
uncommon  thing  in  June  to  find  15  or  20  dead  lice  upon  the  under 
surface  of  a  pea  leaf.  With  the  rains  which  prevailed  throughout  this 
section  during  June,  which  fostered  the  development  of  this  disease, 
it  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  infested  fields,  and  as  a  consequence 
it  was  very  difficult  to  find  the  pea  louse  upon  late  peas.  A  careful 
examination  of  peas  where  the  insects  were  abundant  in  June  showed 
that  they  were  practically  free  from  them.  We  feel,  therefore,  that 
the  climax,  as  far  as  the  development  of  the  insect  this  season,  has 
been  reached,  and  that  these  silent  factors  in  nature  are  now  actualh7 
reducing  the  pest  to  such  a  point  that  it  may  possibly  be  several  years 
before  it  will  be  such  a  destructive  pest  in  this  section  as  it  has  been 
for  the  past  two  seasons.  At  any  rate,  the  conditions  are  such  that 
the  farmer  and  canner  have  taken  new  hope,  and  we  trust  the  future 
will  bring  fewer  lice  and  more  peas. 


In  discussing  this  paper  Mr.  Hopkins  said  it  would  be-interesting  to 
know  whether  it  is  possible  for  this  to  be  an  introduced  pest,  and 
asked  Mr.  Johnson  whether  he  had  made  any  investigations  in  that 
respect. 

Mr.  Johnson  replied  that  his  opinion  is  that  it  is  not  an  introduced 
pest  but  an  indigenous  insect,  and  that  the  change  of  conditions  has 
brought  about  this  enormous  development  in  numbers. 

Mr.  Hopkins  asked  if  there  are  any  records  of  its  previous  occur- 
rence in  great  numbers. 

Mr.  Johnson  stated  that  the  only  record  he  has  is  one  by  Mr.  Beck- 
with,  formerly  of  the  Delaware  station,  made  ten  or  twelve  }Tears  ago, 
and  the  record  of  its  occurrence  along  the  Potomac  River  in  1887.  In 
neither  case  however,  are  we  sure  that  it  is  the  same  insect,  as  speci- 
mens are  not  available.  The  growers  of  Maryland,  Delaware,  and 
Virginia  state  now  that  this  insect  has  been  known  to  them  for  a 
number  of  years. 

Mr.  Hopkins  said  this  case  is  such  a  complete  parallel  to  the  inva- 
sion of  the  pine-bark  beetle,  which  has  been  fully  presented  and  pub- 
lished and  the  trouble  from  which  is  now  over,  that  it  occurred  to 
him  that  in  this  case  within  the  next  few  years  this  insect  will  proba- 
bly disappear  or  become  exceedingly  rare.  He  had  taken  the  trouble, 
in  connection  with  the  investigation  of  the  pine  insect,  to  look  up  the 
history  of  invasions  by  indigenous  insects  and  found  that  they  multi- 
ply rapidly  for  several  years,  become  enormously  destructive,  and  a 


59 


few  years  later  disappear.  They  arc  destroyed  by  parasites  or  by 
climatic  conditions  and  soon  become  rare  species.  This  happened  in 
the  case  of  the  pine  insect,  which  was  scarcely  heard  of  before,  and 
was  one  of  the  rarest  insects  in  collections  until  it  suddenly  occurred 
in  1M>1  in  such  enormous  numbers  as  to  destroy  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  timber,  but  now  it  is  practically  extinct.  Not  a  single  living 
specimen  has  been  found  since  the  fall  of  189±  Professor  Johnson's 
paper  shows  the  great  importance  of  the  work  he  has  undertaken,  and 
lis  experience  will  be  of  inestimable  value  in  dealing  with  future  out- 
breaks of  the  pea  louse.  He  thought  the  fanners  of  Maryland  would 
nake  a  great  mistake  by  changing  their  locations  for  growing  peas 
mtil  perhaps  a  year  has  elapsed,  because  if  the  rule  follows  in  regard 
o  sudden  invasions  by  indigenous  insects  they  will  soon  disappear  or 
lecome  rare. 

Mr.  Johnson  said  he  was  greatly  obliged  to  Mr.  Hopkins  for  his 
►pinion,  but  there  is  so  much  money  at  stake  that  the  growers  could 
lot  let  the  matter  rest  awaiting  nature's  relief.  He  believed  fungous 
liseases,  especially  E/mjmsa  <tj>lit(lis%  is  one  of  the  factors  which  will 
Bring  about  the  temporary  disappearance  of  the  pest 

Mr.  Galloway  said  the  point  in  regard  to  the  appearance  and  dis- 
appearance of  forms  holds  good  in  fungous  attacks  also,  the  most  strik- 
ng  example  being  the  potato  blight.  The  same  holds  good  in  the 
>assing  of  the  Russian  thistle.  These  things  come  and  go  and  come 
igain.  and  the  principle  holds  good  with  fungous  diseases  a-  well  as 
vith  insects. 

The  next  paper,  by  Mr.  Galloway,  was  entitled: 

'ROGRESS  IN  THE  TREATMENT  OF  PLANT  DISEASES  IN  THE 

UNITED  STATES. 

By  D.  T.  Galloway,  \Yashiiujt<»i,  I>.  ('. 

[Printed  in  the  Yearbook  of  tin*  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1900.] 

The  next  paper,  bv  Mr.  Webster,  was  entitled: 

i 

METEOROLOGICAL  INFLUENCES  ON  THE  HESSIAN  FLY. 

By  F.  M.  Wkhstkk,  W'o'isti  i  .  <>}n<>. 
[Withdrawn  for  publication  elsewhere.] 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  Central  Park  to  inspect  Mi-.  South- 
rick's  spraying  outfit. 

AFTERNOON  SESSION,  JUNE  9S. 

Owino-  to  the  large  number  of  papers  to  be  read,  it  was  resolved 
hat  each  author  be  allowed  ten  minutes  in  which  to  present  an  abstract 
f  his  paper,  and  that  all  discussions  be  postponed  until  the  papers  had 
i  een  presented. 


60 


The  following  papers  were  then  presented: 

HYDROCYANIC-ACID  GAS  AS  AN  INSECTICIDE  ON  LOW-GROWING 

PLANTS. 

By  E.  Dwight  Sanderson  and  C.  L.  Penny,  Newark,  Bel. 

The  desirability  of  using  a  gas  as  an  insecticide  upon  low-growing 
plants,  more  especially  for  plant  lice,  but  also  for  some  leaf  folders 
and  other  insects  which  can  not  be  reached  by  means  of  a  spray,  has 
long  been  apparent  to  entomologists. 

So  far  as  known  the  only  work  previously  done  upon  this  problem 
is  that  of  Prof.  H.  Garman.  who  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  sug- 
gest such  use  of  a  gas.  with  carbon  bisulphide  upon  the  melon  louse, 
mentioned  at  the  meeting  of  this  society  in  1893,  and  his  subsequent 
experiments  with  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  in  1894  (Bui.  53,  Ky.  Agr. 
Exp.  Sta.).  and  the  further  experiments  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Smith  with  car- 
bon bisulphide  upon  the  same  insect  in  1895  (Bui.  109.  N.  J.  Agr. 
Exp.  Sta.).  It  is  believed  that  neither  of  these  gentlemen,  however, 
have  perfected  practical  apparatus,  nor  outlined  a  method  for  its 
extensive  use  in  the  field. 

Two  years  ago.  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  W.  G.  Johnson,  we  did 
considerable  work  with  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  in  tents  and  box  frames 
over  trees,  and  in  boxes  for  nursery  stock,  in  combating  the  San  Jose 
scale.  In  one  instance  several  hundred  3'oung  trees  were  fumigated 
with  flour  barrels.  Young  apple  trees  were  also  fumigated  for  plant 
lice  with  marked  success.  Having  read  the  experiments  by  Professors 
Garman  and  Smith,  this  experience  with  the  gas  led  me  to  attempt  the 
problem  of  applying  it  to  use  upon  low-growing  plants  during  the 
past  spring. 

Carbon  bisulphide  has  not  been  tried,  as  the  trials  already  made, 
including  also  some  recently  recorded  by  Professor  Webster,  showed 
that  it  was  very  much  slower  in  its  action,  a  serious  obstacle  to  its 
extensive  use.  This  point  might  indeed  be  overcome  by  using  a  larger 
number  of  coverings,  but  a  large  investment  in  apparatus  would  pre- 
clude its  use  in  many  instances.  Where  carbon  bisulphide  requires  an 
hour  to  kill  plant  lice,  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  takes  but  ten  minutes. 
Thus  in  use  upon  melons,  with  a  cover  for  each  plant,  with  100  covers 
hardly  more  than  1,000  plants  could  be  fumigated  in  a  day  with  carbon 
bisulphide,  while  live  or  six  times  as  many  could  be  treated  with  hydro! 
cyanic  acid  gas.  As  regards  cost  of  chemicals  there  is  not  much  differ- 
ent .  though,  if  anything,  carbon  bisulphide  is  slightly  more  expensive. 
Both  gases  are  dangerous  poisons,  but,  all  things  considered.  I  believe 
that  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  is  possibly  preferable  to  carbon  bisulphide 
in  thi>  respect.  There  is  but  little  danger  with  lvydrocyanic-acid gas  in 
such  small  quantities  in  the  open  air,  the  greatest  danger  being  in 


61 


landling  the  salt  solution,  and  though  CSS  is  not  as  poisonous,  it  is 

|  richly  explosive. 

For  fumigating  individual  plants  the  apparatus  needed  and  method 
>f  generating  the  gas  was  soon  ascertained.  For  small  melon  and  cab- 
>age  plants  we  had  made  small  paper  covers,  under  which  the  gas  is 
generated.  These  are  pyramidal  in  shape,  the  apex  being  8  inches 
ligh.  and  the  paper  fastened  to  the  inside  of  a  wood  frame  3  inches 
liirh  by  l>o  inches  square, which  forms  the  bottom.  This  frame  is 
«harplv  beveled  on  the  lower  edge,  to  enable  one  to  firmly  plant  the 
jover  in  the  soil.  A  good  quality  of  building  paper  i>  used  for  the  top 
md  is  cut  in  <>ne  piece,  so  that  there  is  only  one  seam.  The  materials 
for  these  covers  cost  from  3  to  4  cents,  and  we  are  having  fifty  made  for 

,  >({.     In  the  field  the  cOven  are  easily  handled,  a-  they  rest  <>ne  within 
the  other. 

We  have  found  that  in  using  potassium  cyanide  a  small  amount  in 
solution  i>  much  superior  to  the  dry  Bait,  it  being  more  easily  measured 
md  handled.     Furthermore,  in  first  mixing  the  acid  and  water  and 
.  hen  dropping  in  the  salt  much  of  the  heat  necessary  t<>  the  generation 
>f  the  if  as  i-  lost  by  radiation  before  the  salt  can  be  thrown  in.  no 
.  natter  how  quickly   the  generation  be  performed.     \\\  dissolving 
%  LOO  grams  of  K('n  in  sufficient  water  to  bring  the  solution  up  to 
200  cc  when  finished  a  solution  is  secured  w  hich  is  of  good  strength 
i Lnd  one  of  which  different  amounts  can  b<>  easily  computed,  2  cc. 
I  Equaling  1  gram  K('n.    To  generate  the  gas  a  one-fourth  dram 
sec.)  vial  is  filled  with  the  KCn  solution  and  an  equal  or  slightly  less 
imount  of  sulphuric  acid  placed  in  the  bottom  of  a  2 -dram  vial.  The 
j  arger  vial  is  thrust  deep  in  the  earth,  being  careful  to  place  il  BO  that 
[he  overflowing  acid  will  not  strike  the  plant  or  cover.     The  smaller 
;ial  holding  the  cyanide  is  then  dropped  into  the  acid,  mouth  down, 
jind  the  plant  quickly  covered  and  the  cover  firmed  down.     The  capil- 
larity of  the  one-fourth  dram  vial  prevents  a  too  sudden  generation 
1  if  the  gas  and  allows  time  for  placing  the  cover.    The  vials  are  ear- 
ned in  carriers  holding  one  hundred  or  more, as  desired.    These  are 
.  nade  of  a  piece  of  board  for  the  bottoms,  in  which  two  hundred  holes 
he  size  of  the  vials  have  been  drilled,  on  the  bottom  of  which  a  piece 
]  >f  wire  netting  is  tacked.     With  sides  and  a  hinged  cover  these  make 
landy  and  safe  trays.     No  stoppers  are  used,  but  a  piece  of  rubber 
)acking  inside  the  cover  of  the  tray  would  serve  the  same  purpose. 

As  regards  the  amount  of  cyanide  to  be  used  and  the  length  of  time 
lecessary  to  kill  plant  lice  and  other  insects,  there  has  not  yet  been 
.  >pportunity  for  sufficient  tests  to  give  conclusive  results.  From  some 
t  T5  tests  made,  we  believe  that  a  one-fourth  dram  vial  of  the  above- 
nentioned  solution  (or  about  four-tenths  gram  KCn  per  cubic  foot  air 
pace)  with  an  equal  amount  of  acid  for  ten  minutes  will  be  found 
intirely  satisfactory.    In  some  tests  upon  young  canteloupes  which 


62 


were  covered  with  water  after  a  slight  shower  we  found  that  they  were 
badly  injured  by  this  strength,  though  we  doubt  they  would  have  been 
hurt  had  they  been  dry.    Possibly  a  less  time  may  be  sufficient,  but 
we  doubt  that  in  handling  fifty  or  one  hundred  covers  it  would  be  of 
much  advantage,  as  they  could  hardly  be  changed  and  the  gas  gen 
erated  in  less  time.    The  very  much  larger  amount  of  gas  than  is 
necessary  in  a  larger  box  or  frame  is  due  to  the  relatively  large  soil 
surface,  and  the  fact  that  more  or  less  necessarily  leaks  out  around  the 
edges  at  the  bottom.    In  using  these  covers  for  such  insects  as  melon 
lice  it  would  rarely  be  necessary  to  fumigate  every  hill.    But  were 
every  hill  fumigated,  with  hills  5  by  5  feet,  the  chemicals  for  th 
treatment  would  cost  not  over  75  cents  per  acre,  and  with  one  hun 
dred  covers  two  men  should  be  able  to  fumigate  3  to  5  acres  a  day 
Upon  the  first  opportunity  we  shall  try  this  treatment  with  fifty  or  on 
hundred  covers  over  an  acre  or  two  during  the  present  season. 

The  fumigation  of  plants  grown  in  rows  is,  however,  more  difficult 
and  presents  some  obstacles.  A  frame  15  feet  long,  with  two  side 
slanting  so  that  in  cross-section  the  frame  was  triangular,  20  inch 
wide  at  the  open  bottom  and  8  inches  high,  was  first  used,  but  it  wa 
soon  found,  as  had  been  expected,  that  the  gas  would  not  diffus 
readily  in  such  a  shaped  covering. 

It  seemed  desirable,  therefore,  to  determine  the  exact  manner  o 
diffusion  of  the  gas  in  such  an  elongated  frame,  and  also  points  a, 
regards  (1)  the  amount  of  gas  produced  by  a  given  amount  of  KCn 
sulphuric  acid,  and  water,  (2)  the  influence  of  the  soil  and  wet  plan' 
upon  the  strength  of  the  gas,  and  (3)  whether  the  strength  of  the  g* 
deteriorates  after  a  given  time.  This  work  was  taken  up  by  the  statio 
chemist,  Mr.  C.  L.  Penny,  who  has  very  carefully  secured  and  ana 
lyzed  samples  of  the  gas  under  various  conditions  to  determine  thes 
points.  Only  a  mere  summary  of  the  results  can  now  be  given.  Dur 
ing  the  present  summer  we  purpose  studying  the  manner  of  diffusio 
of  the  gas  in  a  room  such  as  nurserymen  use  as  a  fumigatorium,  an 
later  will  publish  a  detailed  account  of  all  the  experiments. 

A  frame  covered  with  rawhide  paper,  13^  feet  long  and  18  inche 
square  at  the  ends,  was  constructed  for  this  work.  The  bottom  wa 
taken  off  and  the  frame  aired  after  each  test,  and  sealed  with  putty  whe 
replaced.  The  gas  was  generated  by  running  the  acid  into  the  cyanid 
solution  by  means  of  a  stopcock  so  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  los 
or  leakage.  A  known  amount  of  gas  was  drawn  off — after  passin 
through  a  drying  tube — into  several  large  bottles,  by  first  exhaustin 
these  with  an  aii-  pump.  A  36-gallon  kitchen  hot-water  boiler  wa 
oearly  exhausted  of  air,  and  a  mercury  gauge  attached.  Between  thi 
and  tin-  reservoir  of  bottles  was  placed  a  train  of  wash  bottles  contain 
ing  nitrate  of  silver  solution,  and  all  were  then  connected.  Upo 
opening  a  valve  the  larger  tank  thus  drew  a  quantity  of  thegasthroug 
the  wash  bottles  whose  volume  was  easily  determined  by  the  mercur 


63 


gauge  and  whose  content  of  gas  was  subsequently  determined  by 
titration.  The  gas  was  generated  at  the  middle  and  either  ends  of  the 
frame  and  samples  taken  from  all  of  these  and  opposite  points  after 
different  lengths  of  time.  A  solution  of  cyanide  and  sulphuric  acid  in 
proportion  of  1  part  cyanide  to  H  parts  acid  to  2i  parts  water  and  an 
amount  equal  to  two-tenths  gram  potassium  cyanide  per  cubic  foot 
air  space  was  used  in  all  of  these  tests.  The  amount  of  cyanide  remain- 
ing in  the  residual  solution  was  determined  in  each  instance  and 
deducted  from  the  amount  calculated  to  be  present  if  the  gas  were 
completely  generated  and  diffused.  With  this  frame  the  residuum 
averaged  about  .*>  per  cent:  with  a  large  box.  mentioned  below,  about 
3  per  cent,  and  the  percentage  was  found  to  decrease  the  more  time 
elapsed  after  generation.  With  the  generator  and  intake  at  the  same 
end  after  three  minute-  it  was  found  the  amount  varied  from  7<>  to  L97 
per  cent  of  the  calculated  amount  with  an  average  of  1:;  per  cent.  In 
other  words,  the  gas  diffused  irregularly,  but  remained  largely  in  the 
end  where  generated.  The  generator  was  then  placed  at  the  middle 
and  the  intake  at  the  end.  Samples  were  taken  after  ten  minutes, 
thirty  minutes,  one.  four,  and  twelve  hours.  In  all  of  these  the  gas 
was  found  to  diffuse  irregularly  and  in  no  instance  was  the  diffusion 
nearly  complete.  As  far  as  could  be  detected  the  frame  was  tight, 
but  a  loss  of  gas  seemed  to  occur  in  some  way.  whether  by  leakage  or 
transfusion  Is  a  question.  At  any  rate, after  twelve  hours  not  a  trace 
of  gas  was  found.  The  average  percentages  of  the  calculated  amount 
for  the  four  other  periods  were  4n\  41,  27.  and  13  per  cent,  respectively, 
showing  a  regular  decrease  the  longer  the  time,  but  never  a  complete 
diffusion,  the  highest  amount  after  ten  minutes'  time  being  70  per  cent. 

From  these  tests  it  seemed  evident  that  by  Itself  the  gas  would  not 
diffuse  evenly  in  such  a  frame.  A  rough  fan  was  therefore pul  in  the 
center,  and  a  diaphragm  placed  horizontally  through  the  center  to 
within  a  foot  of  each  end,  so  that  a  thorough  circulation  might  thus 
be  secured  mechanically. 

By  use  of  this  mixer  with  the  generator  and  intake  at  opposite  ends 
after  th  e  mil  utes  ~'2A  per  cent  of  the  calculated  amount  was  secured, 
and  this  with  fairly  constant  results,  only  varying  from  68.5  to  75  per 
cent  in  four  trials.  As  this  fan  was  far  from  a  perfect  device,  and 
also  promoted  leakage,  we  concluded  that  these  tests  showed  fairly 
that  in  such  a  shaped  frame  the  gas  diffuses  entirely  irregularly  and 
never  completely.  In  other  words,  it  would  be  necessary  in  actual 
usage  t<>  generate  a  very  much  larger  amount  of  gas  than  necessary 
were  it  diffused,  in  order  to  secure  a  sufficient  amount  in  all  parts  to 
be  effective,  with  the  danger  of  burning  the  plants  at  the  point  of  gen- 
eration if  used  too  strong.  Evidently  the  only  way  to  determine  this 
was  by  tests  in  the  field  upon  insects,  as  such  a  fan  arrangement  was 
clearly  impracticable. 


64 


To  determine  the  influence  of  wet  plants  on  the  amount  of  gas,  a 
half -bushel  of  leaves  were  sprinkled,  shaken,  and  placed  in  the  frame. 
After  live  minutes  only  54.3  per  cent  of  the  calculated  amount  of  gas 
remained,  or  75  per  cent  of  what  would  have  been  secured  without  the 
leaves.  In  other  words,  the  moisture  absorbed  one-fourth  of  the  gas. 
This  influence  of  moisture  must  needs  be  considered  in  the  fumigation 
of  nursery  plants  packed  in  wet  moss,  or  sprinkled,  or  in  field  work 
after  a  rain  or  heavy  dew.  The  bottom  of  the  frame  was  then  removed 
and  the  gas  generated  over  soil  containing  an  average  degree  of  mois- 
ture. After  five  minutes  45  per  cent  of  the  calculated  amount  was 
found  remaining,  or  62.7  per  cent  of  what  would  have  been  secured 
were  the  box  closed.  Thus  the  soil  and  possible  leakage,  which  was. 
slight,  as  the  soil  was  well  banked  and  packed  around  the  bottom,  took 
up  three-eighths  of  the  gas  generated.  This  influence  of  the  soil  upon 
the  amount  of  gas  is  very  important  in  the  use  of  these  frames  with  a 
large  surface  exposed  to  the  soil,  which,  of  course,  decreases  the  ratio 
of  the  soil  surface  to  the  volume  of  the  gas. 

The  diffusion  of  the  gas  in  a  wooden  box  which  had  been  made  for 
fumigation  of  nursery  stock  was  then  tested.    This  box  is  8  by  3  by  2b 
feet,  and  was  made  of  two  thicknesses  of  matched  flooring,  with  build- 
ing paper  between.    The  lid  fitted  tightly  and  the  joint  was  sealed  with 
putty.    With  the  generator  and  intake  at  the  same  end,  at  the  end  of 
two  minutes  33.7  per  cent  of  the  calculated  amount  was  found;  in  ten 
minutes,  62.7  per  cent;  in  twenty  minutes,  56  per  cent.    With  the 
generator  and  intake  at  opposite  ends,  however,  265  per  cent  was  found 
in  two  minutes,  160  per  cent  in  five  minutes,  92  per  cent  in  ten  min 
utes,  and  9.5  per  cent  in  sixteen  hours.    Thus  the  diffusion  of  the  ga 
in  this  shaped  space  is  just  the  opposite  of  that  in  a  long  frame — that 
is,  in  the  cubical  space  the  gas  is  puffed  to  the  opposite  end  at  the  en 
of  two  minutes,  but  about  one-third  being  at  the  end  of  generation  an 
two-thirds  at  the  opposite  end,  and  requiring  about  ten  minutes  fo 
the  complete  diffusion,  while  in  the  long  frame  the  gas  became  4  4  banked 
at  the  point  of  generation,  and  is  never  completely  diffused  without 
mechanical  agitation. 

These  in  brief  are  the  facts  drawn  from  the  laboratory  study  of  th 
diffusion.    How  were  they  supported  by  experiments  in  the  field  ? 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  the  field  tests  a  larger  amount  of  ga 
would  be  required  to  compensate  the  influence  of  the  soil  and  foliage 
The  triangular  frame  15  feet  long  by  8  inches  high  by  18  inches  wid< 
with  a  door  at  the  center  to  admit  the  generator,  was  first  used.  I 
will  be  noticed  that  this  frame  has  but  about  one-fourth  the  area  l 
cross  section  of  the  square  frame  used  at  the  laboratory,  and  therefor 
(he  diffusion  would  be  at  least  inversely  that  much  more  difficult 
With  two-tenths  gram  KCn  per  cubic  foot  air  space1  all  lice  wer 
killed  ai  I  he  middle  of  the  frame  in  ten  minutes,  the  generator  bein 


65 


at  the  middle  Neither  with  this  strength  at  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty 
minute-  were  the  lice  at  the  ends  of  the  frame  even  stupefied,  hut  with 
three-tenth-  -j rani  KCn  per  cubic  foot  many  of  the  liee  were  stupefied 
at  the  ends  in  ten  minutes,  but  all  soon  recovered.  With  three-tenths 
gram  for  fifteen  minutes,  however,  the  lice  half  way  between  the  middle 
and  ends  were  killed. 

This  frame  was  not  only  too  long  and  of  too  small  diameter  for  the 
diffusion  of  the  gas.  but  was  too  long  to  be  readily  handled  and  to 
aeeotnniodate  itself  to  any  unevenness  of  the  ground.  A  frame  LOfeet 
long  by  1"  inches  high  by  24  inches  wide  at  the  bottom,  also  of  a  tri- 
angular shape,  was  therefore  made,  hut  with  doors  at  either  end 
instead  of  one  at  the  middle.  In  the  tests  made  with  it  one-half  of  the 
gas  wa-  generated  at  either  end  instead  of  from  the  middle.  In  these 
frame- the  cyanide  solution  and  acid  can  be  measured  and  handled  in 
larger  vial-,  and  these  carried  in  trays,  as  for  the  small  covers.  A 

3-d  ram  long-style  vial  five-sixths  full  of  the  cyanide  solution  (2  cc. 
equals  1  gram  KCn)  and  s-dram  short-style  rial,  with  i;  cc.  ^ul- 
phuric  acid  in  the  bottom,  give  one-half  the  amount-  necessary  for 
three-tenth-  gram  KCn  per  cubic  foot  in  this  10-foot  frame,  one  gen- 
eration being  made  at  each  end  of  the  frame.  By  using  these  vials 
the  carrying  and  cleaning  of  a  separate  vessel  in  w  hich  to  generate  the 
gas  is  obviated.  Using  two-tenth-  gram  KCn  per  cubic  foot,  after 
ten  minute-  five  tests  showed  an  average  of  16  per  cent  of  the  aphides 
alive  at  the  end- and  25  percent  alive  ai  the  middle,  or  that  the  gas 

was  but  -lightly  more  effective  at  the  end-  than  in  the  middle,  and  was 
insufficient  to  kill  the  lice  at  either  point.  All  of  these  lice  were  stu- 
pefied and  remained  so  for  some  time,  but  were  found  alive  the  next 
morning.  In  this  connection  it  might  be  well  to  -tate  that  in  such 
tests  plant  lice  should  always  lie  kept  at  least  for  twelve  hour-.  They 
have  a  remarkable  power  of  *k  playing  possum, "  and  w  ill  often  remain 
Stupefied  for  three  or  four  hours.  The  same  dose  for  th  e  minute-  left 
37  per  cent  alive  at  the  ends  and  17  per  cent  in  the  middle,  showing  the 
gas  lo  have  been  more  effective  in  the  middle.  This  shows  a  similarity 
in  the  dill  u -i.  n  to  t  hat  found  in  the  large  box  used  in  the  laboratory  in 
that  the  gas  was  at  first  thrown  from  either  end  to  the  center  and  was 
found  to  be  moie  effective  in  the  middle  than  at  the  end  after  five 
minutes,  but  this  became  ao  diffused  that  the  gas  was  slightly  more 
effective  at  tin1  end-  after  ten  minute.-.  Three-tenths  of  a  gram  KCn 
per  cubic  foot  for  live  minutes  also  failed  to  kill  the  lice.  Later  three- 
tenth-  and  Pour-tenths  of  a  gram  per  cubic  foot  were  tried  for  ten 
minute-,  and  only  in  one  or  two  instances  did  we  find  from  10  to  25  per 
cent  alive  when  the  former  strength  was  used,  and  four-tenths  of  a 
gram  killed  all  the  lice  and  other  insects  in  every  test.  Three-tenths 
of  a  gram  for  fifteen  minutes  would  undoubtedly  be  effective.  With 
none  of  these  strengths  were  the  strawberry  plants  upon  which  the 
6878— No.  26  5 


66 


work  was  done  injured.  In  fact,  from  the  results  of  fumigating  plants 
before  setting  them  out,  we  believe  that  strawberry  plants  in  the  field 
would  stand  a  strength  of  two-tenths  or  three-tenths  of  a  gram  KCn 
per  cubic  foot  for  twenty  or  twenty -five  minutes,  were  that  necessary. 

Work  done  with  a  wooden  box  2  by  2  by  2i  feet,  with  open  bottom, 
in  fumigating  loose  strawberry  plants  infested  with  Aphis  forbesi 
brought  out  the  influence  of  the  soil  on  the  gas  and  the  ready  diffu- 
sion in  a  cubical  space.  In  this  box  two-tenths  gram  KCn  per  cubic 
foot  in  ten  minutes,  three-tenths  gram  in  five  minutes,  and  one-tenth 
gram  in  twenty  minutes  proved  fatal  to  the  aphides. 

Thus,  in  the  10-foot  frame,  with  a  soil  surface  of  20  square  feet  and 
a  cubic  capacity  of  8i  feet,  or  a  ratio  of  2J  soil  surface  to  1  of  vol- 
ume, just  twice  as  much  gas  was  required  to  be  generated  from  two 
points  to  be  effective  as  that  in  the  wooden  box  of  10  cubic  feet 
capacity  and  5  square  feet  soil  surface,  having  an  almost  opposite 
ratio  of  2  volume  to  1  of  soil  surface.  Again,  the  covers  for  indi- 
vidual plants,  with  a  soil  surface  of  about  3  square  feet  and  a  capacity 
of  one-half  cubic  foot,  or  a  ratio  of  6  soil  surface  to  1  of  capacity, 
required  eight-tenths  gram  per  cubic  foot,  or  four  times  as  much. 
Comparing  these  figures  with  the  results  obtained  in  the  laboratory 
test  of  the  influence  of  the  soil,  by  a  rough  calculation  a  rule  some- 
what as  follows  might  be  deduced:  Let  x  equal  the  mean  height 
in  feet:  then  the  amount  of  cyanide  of  potassium  per  cubic  foot 
expressed  in  decigrams  would  be  2  plus  the  reciprocal  of  a?,  or  the 

decigrams  of  KCn  to  be  used  per  cubic  foot  equals  2+— • 

AYhether  these  ratios  would  hold  true  for  a  larger  series  of  tests 
remains  to  be  ascertained,  but  they  at  least  indicate  the  general  tend- 
ency of  the  diffusion  of  the  gas  and  the  influence  of  the  soil  upon  it. 
The  cost  of  such  frame  is  but  little.  The  materials  for  them  should 
not  cost  over  25  or  30  cents,  and  they  are  easily  made.  With  rows  3 
feet  apart,  using  12  frames,  with  three-tenths  gram  per  cubic  foot  for 
ten  minutes,  an  acre  could  be  covered  in  about  two  days  at  a  cost  of 
about  $3  for  chemicals.  This  treatment  is  practicable,  therefore,  only 
upon  plants  of  some  considerable  value  and  for  relatively  small  areas. 
Under  many  circumstances,  however,  it  could  be  used  to  much  better 
advantage  than  any  other  means  of  combating  a  pest,  and  often  might 
be  found  effectual  where  no  other  method  of  extermination  were 
possible. 

NOTES  FROM  DELAWARE. 

By  E.  Dwight  Sanderson,  Newark,  Del. 

TJu  ha/rlequim  cabbage  hug. — The  harlequin  cabbage  bug  has  been 
under  observation  as  much  as  the  scarcity  of  material  would  permit. 
Last  year  lli<'  bugs  were  not  noticed  till  late  in  the  summer,  and  injury 
by  them,  as  noted  in  one  or  two  instances,  was  confined  to  very  late 


07 


cabbage.  The  present  spring  they  have  also  boon  nnnsuaUy  scarce, 
though  more  abundant  than  last  year.  April  25  1  found  the  sexes 
pairing  on  kale  at  Smyrna,  and  a  few  eggs  already  deposited.  Several 
pairs  were  brought  to  the  insectary.  The  mating  of  the  sexes  takes 
place  at  frequent  intervals,  often  for  die  larger  part  of  a  day,  during 
the  period  of  a  month  or  more.  One  female,  with  which  was  placed 
a  male  from  .May  1  t<»  June  I,  deposited  fifteen  clusters  of  eggs  in  that 
tin"'-  Another  female,  which  mated  on  April  i>!».andwas  then  placed 
alone,  deposited  sii  clusters  of  eggs  up  to  May  19.  The  voung  from 
eggB  laid  May  1  became  full  grown  June 

The  appearance  of  this  insect  In  the  spring  seems  to  be  somewhat 
irregular.  At  Qamden*  May  12,  I  found  but  one  or  two  strav  females 
on  some  kale  next  to  where  a  patch  of  late  cabbage  was  fairly  alive 
with  bugs  last  fall,  and  where  the  same  cabbage  had  been  stored  all 
Winter.  At  Milford  none  could  he  found  until  May  when  on,-  or 
two  were  found  here  and  thereon  the  cabbage  grown  up  to  stalks, 
where  wrere  one  or  two  dusters  of  eggs.  One  of  our  largest  cabbage 
growers  tells  me  that  a  few  years  ago  it  was  almost  impossible  to  raise 
cabbage  on  account  of  this  Insect,  bat  that  forth.-  last  few  years  he 
has  used  kale  a.  a  trap  crop  with  the  best  of  success,  bavins  very  little 
trouble  in  thus  catching  tin-  old  bugs, and  as  a  result  of  £is  procedure 
and  the  careful  hand  picking  of  the  few  that  stray  t<>  the  cabbage, dur- 
ing the  last  two  or  three  years  he  has  been  troubled  but  rery  little, 

while  his  neighbors'  cabbage  ha-  often  been  ruined. 

On  March  ->\  I  received  partially  grown  lots  of  GatfnphUus  equi 
through  our  veterinarian.  Dr.  II.  1>.  Eyes,  which,  it  was  thought  had 
caused  the  death  of  a  horse.    The  bots  were  taken  from  the  stomach 
which  was  full  of  then,  and  vras  badly  ulcerated.    Dr.  Eves  Mated 

that  here  and  there  the  stomach  and  intestines  had  clearly  been  perfo- 
rated by  the  bots,  and  the  scars  made  by  them  were  found  throughout 
the  length  of  the  intestinal  canal.  A  week  later  Dr.  Kves  sent  me 
botsoi  G.  naxal!**  most  of  which  were  found  in  the  esophagus  of  a 
horse. 

The  rose-chafer  {Macrodactyhis  sufopwumut)  has  been  much  less 
•umerous  than  usual  this  year,  as  has  the  plum cuTculio  ( OmotracMus 
nenuphar).  In  fact,  but  few  of  our  fruit  growers  have  resorted  to 
"bugging,"  as  they  term  hand  picking  and  jarring. 

Apples  are  being  largely  planted  in  Delaware,  and  the  insects  affect- 
ing them  have  been  quite  an  annoyance,  especially  on  young  trees  top 
worked  by  budding. 

'Aphis  mali  Fab.  attacks  the  buds  as  soon  as  they  commence  to  swell 
in  the  spring  and  often  seriously  stunts  their  growth  or  kills  them. 
The  eggs  of  this  species  commenced  hatching  on  April  15,  and  the  last 
latched  about  May  7.  These  became  less  numerous  late  in  Maraud 
had  nearly  disappeared  by  the  middle  of  June,  being  largely  destroyed 


68 


b}^  larvae  of  Syrphus  americanus  and  parasites,  among  which  is  Lysi- 
phlelms  myzi  Ashm.  At  several  points  the  eggs  of  this  aphis  were 
very  abundant,  but  few  lice  appeared  and  did  but  little  damage. 

Myzus  sp.  3 — During  the  last  week  in  April  the  stem  mothers  of  an 
aphis,  determined  by  Mr.  Th.  Pergande  to  be  a  species  of  Myzus,  were 
found  depositing  young  with  A.  malt.  These  stem  mothers  were 
large,  globular,  bluish-black,  slightly  pruinose,  and  the  young  were  of 
a  light-brown  color.  This  species  curls  the  leaves  much  worse  than 
the  former,  and  has  been  found  very  common  on  apples  throughout 
the  State.  On  June  16  I  found  that  they  had  been  destro}Ted  in  one 
badly  infested  orchard  mostly  by  parasites,  among  which  were 
Lysiphlebus  cucurbitaphidis  Ashm.,  and  some  undetermined  species, 
and  also  by  syrphid  larvae  and  CMlocorus  himdnerus.  The  adults  of 
the  next  generation  are  of  a  brown  color,  marked  with  yellowish 
where  the  embryos  show  through  the  abdomens.  The  larva?,  pupae, 
and  nearly  molted  adult  apterous  forms  of  the  next  generation  are  of 
a  decided  pinkish  color,  while  the  winged  individuals  are  of  a  brown- 
ish-black color.  The  following  generation  is  also  partly  composed  of 
winged  aphides. 

Aphis  sp. — Late  in  May  an  undetermined  species  of  Aphis  spreads 
to  the  apples  from  wild-cherry  trees  and  soon  becomes  thickly  clustered 
upon  the  terminals.  This  species  is  bright  yellowish  and  green,  prom- 
inently marked  with  black. 

Lophoderus  quadrifasciana  Fern. — As  the  buds  commenced  to 
unfold  in  April,  fine  silk  threads  could  be  seen  running  here  and  there 
between  the  terminals.  These  were  found  to  be  made  by  small,  yellow 
Tortricid  larvae,  evidently  just  hatched  from  the  eggs.  Later  these 
became  a  bright  green  color,  and  when  full  grown  were  about  10  mm. 
long.  They  pupated  May  16  and  emerged  May  25  to  June  2,  the 
species  proving  to  be  Lophoderus  quadrifascicma  Fern,  one  not  previ- 
ously noted  as  an  apple  insect.  The  larvae  were  quite  common,  and 
did  more  or  less  damage  by  webbing  the  leaves  together. 

The  larvae  of  Pent  hum  chionesema  Zell.  have  similar  habits  and  have 
previously  been  noted  as  apple  pests  in  Missouri  by  Miss  Murtfeldt. 
The  larvae  are  so  similar  to  the  latter  species  that  they  were  not  dis- 
tinguished, though  I  find  subsequently  that  they  are  considered  larger. 
A  Larva  of  this  species  pupated  May  14  and  the  moth  emerged  Ma}^  22. 

Larva1  of  Caccecia  rosacecma  Harr.,are  common,  but  not  sufficiently 
so  to  do  much  injury.    Moths  emerged  May  30. 

Cases  of  Mmeola  indiginella  Zell.  were  found  very  common  during 
the  winter,  but  I  did  not  observe  much  work  of  the  larvae  in  the 
spring.  They  pupated  about  May  15  and  the  moths  emerged  the  first 
week  in  June. 

A  small,  reddish  larva  was  observed  to  do  considerable  damage  by 
boring  into  the  young  buds,  but  1  failed  to  rear  it.    Mr.  Busck  thinks 


69 


the  larvae  may  be  a  species  of  Depressaria,  and  I  now  have  larvae  which 
I  think  are  the  second  brood  of  the  same  species.  This  species  was 
parasitized  by  Microdus  gtbbosus  Say. 

Tinrtocrrti  ocelhnm  has  not  been  observed,  though  it  has  sometimes 
been  injurious  in  Delaware. 

Steganoj)tycha  sp. — During  the  latter  part  of  last  summer  the  ter- 
minals of  young  apple  trees  were  very  generally  injured  by  a  small, 
reddish  larva  boring  into  them.  These  larva*  became  full  grown  late 
in  October  and  then  hibernated  in  their  barrows  in  the  terminals, 
usually  at  the  base  of  a  leaf  petiole  which  remained  attached  over 
winter.  In  some  cases  the  burrows  were  slightly  lined  with  silk.  The 
hibernating  larvae  became  somewhat  flattened  and  reduced  in  size  and 
of  a  lighter  color.  Were  a  twig  broken  open  the  larva4  would  close 
the  opening  with  silk  and  chip-,  and  one  or  two  spun  whole  cases  of 
silk  upon  the  outside  of  the  twig  when  thus  molested.  I  also  found  a 
similar  case  on  a  branch  of  one  tree.  Fully  •~>n  per  cent  of  the  larvae 
in  the  orchard  under  observation  were  parasitized  by  Braoon  mel- 
///w  Say,  w  hose  larva  makes  a  w  hite,  parchment-like  cocoon  of  silk 
within  the  burrow.  All  terminal-  containing  parasitized  larva'  were 
found  to  be  punctured  by  a  small  hole  jusl  below  the  cocoon  of  the 
parasite.  Whether  this  was  caused  by  the  oviposition  of  the  parasite 
or  is  for  its  exit  I  do  not  know  .  These  larvae  pupated  May  5  to  7  and 
the  moth-  emerged  May  hi  to  They  have  been  determined  by 
Mr.  Busck  to  he  the  same  a-  Stegcmoptycha  salicicolana  Clem,  of  the 
U.  S.  National  Museum  collection,  hut  he  -late-  that  these  Specimens 
are  probably  wrongly  determined.  The  species  is  doubtless  the  same 
as  that  found  by  Miss  Murtfeldt  in  Missouri,  w  hich  she  describes  a-  8. 
pyricolana  Riley  MSS..  stating  that  Dr.  Fernald  considered  it  identi- 
cal with  8.  saliciooUma  (Mem.  As  the  larvae  of  the  latter  species, 
however,  have  been  recorded  as  breeding  in  willow  galls,  it  seems 
hardly  probable  that  tiny  are  the  same,  and  Dr.  Riley,  who  Miss 
Murtfeldl  states  had  types  of  Clemens' species,  pronounced  them  dis- 
tinct. The  moth-  are  very  pretty  little  insects  of  a  gray-brow  n  color, 
with  bluish  reflections,  and  marked  with  bands  of  silvery,  lead  gray, 
and  black  scales.  This  species  is  very  common  throughout  the  State 
and  has  done  considerable  injury  in  some  instances.  S.  salicicohnut 
Clem,  wa-  originally  from  Dr.  Walsh  in  Illinois,  and  I  find  no  other 
mention  of  it  except  by  Miss  Murtfeldt, 

/'/,,  destructive  green  ]><-</  l<>us<>. — A  considerable  portion  of  the  last 
two  months  has  been  devoted  to  a  field  study  of  the  pea  louse,  Nectaro- 
pJioiut  f/rsf i-uctoi'  Johns. 

Last  \  ear  I  found  the  lice  still  breeding  on  peas  at  the  station  on 
December  1.  The  first  to  be  observed  this  year  were  seen  on  May  1, 
when,  after  considerable  search,  I  found  a  few  full-grown  wingless 
females  on  early  peas  at  Milford.    On  May  11  the  lice  were  found  to 


70 


be  very  abundant  upon  crimson  clover  throughout  the  State.  In 
several  instances  they  were  observed  spreading  to  the  peas.  With 
rare  exceptions,  however,  the}^  spread  only  to  the  late  peas,  and  almost 
all  our  growers  had  first-class  crops  of  early  peas.  One  or  two  fields 
of  crimson  clover  immediately  next  to  pea  fields  were  fairly  alive  with 
lice,  and  though  none  could  be  found  on  the  early  peas  they  were 
spreading  on  to  the  late  varieties.  At  this  time  but  few  lice  could  be 
found  on  red  clover.  By  May  22  the  lice  had  become  quite  thick  on 
the  late  peas.  Fields  sowed  in  8-inch  drills  were  found  to  be  much 
worse  infested  than  those  in  80-inch  rows,  and  subsequently  were  much 
worse  injured.  In  fact,  both  early  and  late  peas  sown  in  drills  or 
broadcast  were  a  practical  failure.  One  acre  of  market  garden  I  saw 
had  hardly  a  pod  formed;  on  another  field  of  20  acres  of  Alaska  and 
Admiral  about  1,000  pounds  of  peas  were  secured  and  the  rest  was  cut 
for  fodder  or  turned  under.  By  this  time  (May  22)  most  of  the  clover 
had  been  turned  under,  and  the  lice  had  left  that  which  remained 
standing.  They  now  became  more  common  on  red  clover  throughout 
the  State,  but  never  very  numerous.  In  fact,  pea  lice  could  now  be 
found  everywhere  and  on  everything.  On  squash  vines,  apple  trees, 
in  every  fence-corner  cobweb,  could  be  found  the  ever-present,  stray 
pea  louse. 

Not  until  the  first  week  in  June  did  the  enemies  of  the  lice  commence 
to  check  their  increase,  and  though  they  soon  multiplied  so  rapidly, 
and  did  such  efficient  service,  that  but  few  lice  were  to  be  found  when 
the  late  crop  was  being  cut  on  June  IS,  still  they  were  too  late  to 
benefit  the  pea  crop,  as  the  injury  had  alread}^  been  done.  As  a  result 
the  late  varieties  have  probably  yielded  about  one-fourth  of  a  crop  on 
the  average,  the  yield  varying  from  absolutely  nothing  to  a  full  crop. 
The  lice  have  been  fewer  in  numbers  and  have  done  less  injury  than 
last  year,  as  last  year  considerable  injury  was  done  the  early  crop. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  cool,  wet  weather  of  the  latter  part  of  May, 
the  injury  would  have  been  much  more  severe,  but  this  doubtless 
prevented  a  more  rapid  reproduction  of  the  aphides. 

Possibly  the  most  important  enemy  of  the  lice  was  the  fungus 
Emjpusa  aphidis.  Individuals  killed  by  this  were  found  commonly  on 
clover  early  in  the  season,  but  not  in  any  number.  Not  until  June  11 
were  diseased  lice  found  in  quantity,  but  on  that  date  it  was  apparent 
that  the  fungus  would  soon  kill  the  larger  part  of  them,  as  many  were 
dead  and  tin1  majority  were  affected.  A  week  later  but  very  few  lice 
were  found,  and  almost  all  were  diseased. 

Parasitized  aphides  were  fairly  common  on  the  crimson  clover,  but 
none  were  seen  on  peas  until  June  1 1.  At  least  5  per  cent  were  killed 
by  parasites  whose  identity  has  not  yet  been  determined.  Last  fall 
several  Aj>/tidius  tnax/ujigtoiiensis  Ashm.  were  bred. 


71 


Syrphus  flies  were  not  abundant  until  May  30,  when  they  were  very 
common  and  ovipositing.  Nine-tenths  of  them  were  Syrphus  wmeri- 
oana  Wied.,  and  the  remainder  Sphoerophoria  eylindrica  Say.  and 
Allnt/i'ii jttd  oH'npHt.  Bclhhuh  Icetotorins  Fab.  was  also  quite  common, 
and  later  almost  all  of  thepuparia  of  A.  ohliqmt  were  found  parasitized 
and  the  parasites  bred  from  them.  On  June  11  no  syrphus  flies  were 
seen,  but  on  the  ISth  a  third  brood  had  appeared  and  were  swarming 
oyer  the  field,  a  half  dozen  being  seen  often  on  a  couple  of  feet  of  vines, 
and  making  a  vcit  audible  buzz  over  the  whole  field. 

Ladybird  beetles  and  larva*  were  common  throughout  May,  but  not 
until  the  second  week  of  June  did  tin  y  become  abundant.  I  could 
not  determine  any  regularity  of  the  broods  of  these  insects.  Cocci- 
nella  9-notata .  Ilippodam'ta  >■,,,,  ,<,  ,■,/,  //.  glarialis^  MegiUa  maculctfa, 
('.  siiiKjiit inn .  and  Adnlhi  hijm iirtatu  were  all  common,  the  first 
named  being  the  most  common.  Though  the  larva'  of  these  ate  Large 
numbers  of  pea  lice  between  June  1  and  Is.  they  were  too  late  to 
prevent  the  worst  injury.  Chrynojui  ocuhitn  was  common,  but  w  as  not 
nearly  as  valuable  as  the  other  predaceous  insects.  Altogether,  the 
enemies  of  the  lice  appeal-  too  late  to  prevent  the  bulk  of  the  injury, 
and  as  the  same  was  true  last  year,  it  seems  impossible  to  place  any 
dependence  upon  them.  It  seems  evident,  however,  that  the  lice  are 
attacked  by  a  parasite  while  still  in  crimson  clover  (parasitized  lice 
were  also  common  on  red  clover),  but  are  not  parasitized  until  they 
have  been  on  peas  for  some  time.  Is  it  not  possible  the  sudden 
appearance  of  the  lice  last  year  may  have  been  due  to  the  severe  w  in- 
ter, which  killed  oil  the  parasites  and  other  enemies  which  usually  hold 
the  lice  in  check  on  the  clover  and  so  reduce  their  numbers  that  but 
few  of  them  spread  to  peas  !f 

The  very  sudden  appearance  of  this  new  species  last  year  was  a 
unique  entomological  surprise.  Where  it  came  from  was  a  question. 
It  would  seem  to  me  that  the  original  food  plant  of  the  pest  w  as  clover 
and  probably  crimson  clover.  It  is  true  that  crimson  clover  is  not 
grow  n  in  the  North  where  the  louse  was  found  destructive  last  year, 
but  it  is  entirely  possible  that  it  may  have  spread  from  sections  in 
which  crimson  clover  is  grown  to  red  clover  in  these  localities,  but  have 
been  held  in  cheek  by  its  parasites,  and  remained  unnoticed.  Further- 
more, the  insect  enemies  of  red  clover  have  at  various  times  received 
Study  without  this  species  having  been  previously  noted.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  seems  to  be  good  evidence  that  the  louse  has  been  on  crimson 
dm  er  for  several  years.  One  of  our  best  farmers,  Mr.  Frank  Bancroft, 
of  Camden,  Del.,  tells  me  that  he  has  seen  what  he  judges  to  be  the 
same  louse  on  crimson  clover  for  at  least  six  or  seven  years.  In  1890 
crimson  clover  grown  upon  an  experimental  plot  at  the  Delaware  Sta- 
tion became  so  badly  infested  with  a  plant  louse  that  it  was  feared  it 


72 


would  be  killed.  Professor  Beckwith's  notes  state  (May  11?  1890)  that 
these  were  exterminated  by  a  fungous  disease,  and  the  clover  was  not 
seriously  injured.  Upon  looking  over  the  station  collection  I  found 
specimens  of  JV.  destructor  which  unfortunately  were  without  any  label, 
but  were  among  material  which  was  unquestionably  collected  prior  to 
1896.  Upon  corresponding  with  Professor  Beckwith  he  informed  me 
that  he  distinctly  remembered  preserving  specimens  of  the  aphis  in 
question.  As  his  accession  catalogue  shows  no  such  specimens  to  have 
been  numbered,  though  by  no  means  conclusive,  the  evidence  is  at 
least  strongly  circumstantial  that  JVectarophora  destructor  occurred  in 
injurious  numbers  on  crimson  clover  as  early  as  1890. 

As  regards  remedies,  I  have  practically  nothing  new  to  offer.  It 
evidently  is  important  to  plant  crimson  clover  as  far  from  peas  as  pos- 
sible, and  to  turn  it  under  as  early  as  practicable. 

Brushing,  followed  by  harrowing,  was  not  practiced  by  our  growers, 
as  frequent  rains  made  the  soil  too  damp  to  make  it  efficient.  Brush- 
ing into  pans  drawn  between  the  rows  did  not  commend  itself  to  the 
growers,  though  it  seems  to  me  entirely  practicable  and  I  hope  to  see 
the  method  in  use  next  year. 

While  the  lice  were  still  confined  to  the  terminals  of  the  late  peas, 
it  seemed  probable  that  most  of  them  could  be  killed  by  a  spray.  An 
attachment  fitted  from  one-half  inch  gas  pipe  was  readily  and  cheaply 
constructed  so  that  five  rows  of  peas  could  be  sprayed  at  once.  This  was 
used  with  a  kero-water  pump  and  Vermorel  nozzles,  and  gave  a  good 
spray,  which  covered  the  plants  very  thoroughly.  Fifteen  per  cent 
kero  water  was  found  to  evaporate  so  rapidly  in  the  hot  sun  that  it 
failed  to  be  effective.  Twenty-five  per  cent  killed  the  lice  and  reached 
a  large  majority  of  them,  but  I  feared  it  would  injure  the  vines. 
Though  they  were  well  saturated  and  looked  rather  sick  for  a  da}^  or 
two,  however,  they  were  not  permanently  injured  or  affected.  With 
15  per  cent  kerosene  an  acre  was  spra}red  twice  with  5  gallons  of  kero- 
sene and  2  barrels  of  water.  One  spra}Ting  with  25  per  cent  was  much 
more  effective  and  would  be  no  more  expensive.  This  treatment  com- 
mended itself  to  me  as  cheap,  practicable,  and  effective  for  use  while 
the  lice  are  still  confined  to  the  terminals  and  while  the  vines  are  still 
upright,  at  which  time,  if  at  all,  the  lice  must  be  combated  if  injury  to 
the  crop  is  to  be  prevented.  I  fear,  however,  that  the  profit  in  pea 
culture  to  the  average  grower  is  too  small  for  him  to  ever  engage  in 
spraying,  though  the  more  successful  growers  could  well  afford  it. 

Could  the  fungous  disease  be  grown  in  the  laboratory  and  started  in 
the  fields  early  in  the  season  it  might  prove  of  value,  but  so  far  our 
pathologist,  Prof.  F.  D.  Chester,  has  been  unable  to  secure  its  growth 
upon  any  culture  tried. 


73 


APHELINUS  FUSCIPENNIS  AN  IMPORTANT  PARASITE  UPON  THE 
SAN  JOSE  SCALE  IN  EASTERN  UNITED  STATES. 

By  W.      Johnson,  College  Park,  Md. 

For  the  past  eight  years  the  writer  has  been  paying  particular 
attention  to  the  parasites  attacking  scale  insects.  During  this  period 
many  species  have  been  bred,  hut  not  many  specimens  from  any  par- 
ticular scale.  Hie  instance  cited  below  is,  perhaps,  the  most  impor- 
tant from  the  economic  standpoint  yet  discovered  in  these  observa- 
tions. 

Since  we  assumed  charge  of  the  State  work  in  Maryland  we  have 
collected  the  S;m  Jose  scale  <>n  various  food  plants,  and  inclosed 
infested  twigs,  about  4  inches  in  length,  j,,  ohiss  cylinder  tubes  open 

at  both  ends.    The  ends  were  closed  with  cotton,  and  if  any  parasites 

existed  upon  the  BC&lefl  they  wore  easily  detected  and  mounted  for 
Study.  Only  upon  rare  occasions  have  we  taken  more  than  a  half 
do/en  specimens  From  a  single  tube.  This  experience  has  been 
repeated  year  after  year  until  the  fall  of  L899. 

Of  the  four  species  of  true  parasites  known  to  feed  upon  the  San 
Jose  scale,  three  of  fchem  have  been  bred  in  Maryland.  So  far  as! 
know  Anaphes gracilis  Bow.,  bred  by  Dr.  L.  0.  Howard  from  scales 
from  Charles  County,  Aid.,  has  not  been  reared  from  this  scale  from 
any  other  State  Aspidiophagus  citrinus  Craw,  has  been  reared  only 
in  California  from  this  pest  ApheHntts  mytUaspidis  Le  B.  and 
AphdinuA  fuscipennis  I  low  .  have  been  reared  from  scales  taken  at  the 
following  place-  in  this  State:  Riverside,  Annapolis  Junction,  Arahv, 
and  MitchelK  illr.  Last  fall,  however,  I  discovered  a  new  locality  for 
A.  fuscipennis  near  Easton,  Talbot  County,  in  an  infested  orchard 
along  the  Mile-  River.  The  orchard  contained  a  miscellaneous  variety 
of  fruits,  and  all  the  trees  were  quite  seriously  infested  with  the  San 
Jose  scale,  [nstructions  had  been  given  the  owner  to  cut  them  down 
as  soon  as  possible  and  hum  them.  A  quantity  of  small  branches 
bcrusted  with  scale  were  brought  to  the  laboratory  and  inclosed  in 
breeding  tubes.  Much  to  my  surprise  these  tubes  were  swarming 
with  parasites  a  few  days  later.  From  one  tube  1,114  specimens  of 
Aphelvwus  fuscipennis  wore  taken;  w  hile  a  second  tube  gave  432,  a 
third  1.47s.  and  a  fourth  more  than  l.ooo,  but  owing  to  an  accident 
the  count  in  the  case  last  mentioned  was  not  exact.  The  writer  was 
greatly  elated  over  this  discovery,  and  immediately  sent  out  the  fol- 
lowing statement  to  the  State  press: 

I  am  advising  my  correspondents  not  to  burn  twigs  and  branches  cut  from  trees 
infested  with  the  San  Jose  scale.  If  the  tree  is  so  seriously  infested  it  can  not  be 
saved;  it  should  be  dug  up  by  the  roots,  trimmed,  and  the  brush  and  wood  piled 
in  the  orchard,  where  they  should  be  left  until  about  the  1st  of  June  or  longer.  If 
the  trees  are  to  be  sprayed  with  either,  a  25  per  cent  solution  of  kerosene  and  water, 


74 


whale-oil  soap  (2  pounds  in  a  gallon  of  water),  or  crude  petroleum,  the  pruning 
should  be  done  first  and  the  cut  branches  gathered  up  and  piled  where  the  spray 
can  not  reach  them. 

This  is  done  to  preserve  the  little  friends  nature  has  supplied  to  help  keep  the  scale 
in  check.  If  the  twigs  and  branches  are  burned  or  sprayed  the  parasites  would  be 
destroyed,  as  they  feed  upon  the  scale  insects  and  are  now  wintering  under  the  shell- 
like cover  protecting  them.  These  parasites  are  very  small,  being  scarcely  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  yet  they  play  an  important  part  in  the  economy  of  nature.  They 
are  wasp-like  in  general  appearance  and  quite  active.  It  would  be  very  difficult  to 
estimate  the  actual  number  of  parasites  present  upon  a  5  or  6  year  old  peach  or 
plum  tree,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they  would  run  into  the  millions  if  the  para- 
sitism was  at  same  rate  as  upon  the  twigs  in  the  tubes. 

If  I  had  burned  these  twigs  I  would  have  destroyed  all  the  parasites.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  I  had  left  them  on  the  ground  in  the  orchard  the  little  friends  would  have 
escaped  and  concentrated  their  attacks  upon  other  trees  where  the  scale  had  been 
missed  by  the  sprays.  It  is  clear,  then,  that  by  using  a  little  judgment  in  these 
matters  we  can  assist  nature  in  restoring  the  balance  she  desires.  Do  not  sit  down 
and  fold  your  arms  thinking  nature  is  going  to  restore  this  equilibrium  at  once; 
you  must  do  your  part  faithfully  and  well.  Prune  your  orchard  as  soon  as  possible 
and  save  every  twig  that  contains  a  scale;  then  spray  with  a  25  per  cent  solution  of 
kerosene  and  water,  using  any  first-class  spray  pump,  or  with  whale-oil  soap  (2 
pounds  to  a  gallon  of  water),  before  the  buds  open. 

There  is  no  possibility  of  the  scale  spreading  until  some  time  after  the  1st  of  June. 
The  young  begin  to  appear  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington,  D.  C,  June  10  to  15  [in 
1900  young  were  seen  by  the  writer  crawling  June  3  near  Washington],  and  the  insect 
continues  to  breed  until  very  cold  weather.  We  have  seen  young,  just  born,  on  trees 
as  late  as  December  19.  When  a  twig  is  cut  off  between,  say,  December  20  and  May 
15,  there  is  no  possible  danger  of  the  scale  spreading  from  it.  It  is  not  possible  to 
transfer  one  of  these  insects  from  one  twig  to  another  after  it  is  "  set"  and  formed  a 
scale  over  its  back,  and  all  of  them  die  as  soon  as  the  sap  is  dried  out  of  a  cut  twig 
or  branch.  Badly  infested  trees  of  no  commercial  value  should  be  cut  down  now  as 
soon  as  possible,  before  the  buds  open,  and  the  brush  piled.  Do  not  leave  the  stump 
standing,  as  it  may  prove  a  veritable  breeding  place  during  the  summer.  If  you  are 
so  unfortunate  as  to  have  this  scale,  remember  that  eternal  vigilance  must  be  the 
order  of  the  day,  and  you  will  find  before  you  are  through  with  it  that  it  is  no 
trifling  matter. 

The  orchard  in  question  was  not  destroyed  by  burning,  as  first  sug- 
gested, but  the  trees  were  pruned  and  the  cuttings  saved.  In  May, 
1900,  the  writer  had  a  large  quantity  of  the  branches  from  this  orchard 
carefully  packed  and  sent  to  Mr.  W.  W.  Cobey,  Grayson,  Charles 
County;  to  Capt.  R.  S.  Emory,  Chestertown,  Kent  County,  and  to 
Hon.  Charles  G.  Biggs,  Sharpsburg,  Washington  County.  Instruc- 
tions were  sent  to  place  the  infested  branches  in  grape  baskets  and 
hang  them  about  the  orchard  where  the  scale  was  most  abundant.  In 
this  manner  we  will  establish  Aphelmus  fmeipmnis  in  the  various 
counties  and  under  different  conditions.  We  have  every  reason  to 
believe  thai  the  experiment  will  prove  successful. 

In  this  case  the  study  of  parasitism  has  given  us  a  valuable  sugges- 
tion for  the  treatment  of  scale  infested  orchards,  namely,  never  burn 
a  t  w  ig  or  tree  cut  late  in  the  fall,  winter,  or  early  spring.    A  positive 


75 


remedy  one  day  may  be  wrong  tin*  next  day,  just  as  we  are  able  to 
unravel  nature's  secrets  and  interpret  them  for  our  own  good. 

Since  the  above  was  rend  the  writer  has  tested  a  lot  of  twigs  from 
the  Charles  County  orchard  and  has  bred  numerous  specimens  of  A 
fiisr'<i>,i,n'<s.  thus  proving  that  a  parasite  is  thoroughly  established 
there*. 

THE  BROWN-TAIL  MOTH  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

By  A.  H.  Kirk  land,  Maiden,  Mu.ss. 

It  is  seldom  possible  to  record  with  accuracy  from  year  to  year  the 
spread  of  an  introduced  insect  pest.  The  average  working  entomolo- 
gist has  at  his  disposal  neither  the  time  nor  the  funds  necessary  to 
follow  the  spreading  swarms  afield.  It  therefore  follows  that  in  such 
cases  our  records  of  insect  dissemination  have  been  built  up  by  col- 
lecting and  combining  data  in  the  possession  of  entomologists  and  lay- 
men. This  method  is  the  only  practicable4  one  in  the  case  of  those 
insects  whose  spread  is  dependent  upon  the  agency  of  commerce4. 
Such  cases  do  not  possess  the  interest,  at  least  from  a  biological  stand- 
point, of  those  where  natural  means  of  distribution  predominate. 

The  writer  thinks  the  present  a  good  time  to  record  a  few  notes  on 
the  natural  spread  of  the  imported  brown-tail  moth  in  Massachusetts, 
particularly  since  the  abandonment  of  work  against  this  insect  will 
prevent  the  accurate  collection  of  further  data. 

With  this  insect  i'i  Massachusetts  a  unique  condition  has  made  it 
possible  to  follow  its  increasing  distribution  with  more  than  ordinary 
accuracy.  When  the  insect  was  first  noticed  in  the  State,  in  1897,  the 
work  of  combating  it  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  board  of  agriculture. 

At  that  time  the  board  had  employed  in  the  gypsy-moth  work  about 
800  men.  who  from  practical  experience  were  fairly  close  observers 
of  insect  life.  While  it  should  not  Ik4  understood  that  these  men 
were  experts,  yet  they  were  capable  of  recognizing  the  gypsy  moth 
in  all  stages,  and  soon  gained  an  equally  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
brown-tail  moth,  particularly  after  having  experienced  the  intense 
nettling  caused  by  tin4  caterpillars.  The  duties  of  selected  mem- 
bers of  this  working  force  included  a  search  each  fall  to  determine 
the  extent  of  the  spread  of  tin4  brown-tail  moth  outside  the  area  occu- 
pied the  previous  spring.  With  such  employees  the  chance  for  erro- 
neous determinations  of  the  moth  was  small.  The  writer  might  add 
that  he  was  able  to  verify  tin4,  determinations  in  all  doubtful  cases. 

In  the  paper  read  by  Trot'.  (  .  II.  Fernald  before  this,  body  in  1898 
a  description  was  given  of  the  high  gale  which,  occurring  in  tin4  flying 
season  of  L897,  disseminated  the  ninth  for  many  miles  to  the  north- 
ward.   This  northerly  spread  is  even  more  apparent  at  the  present 


76 


time  than  was  the  case  in  1898,  and  the  greatest  distribution  has  been 
in  this  direction.  Taking  the  areas  of  the  towns  found  to  be  infested 
from  year  to  year,  we  have  the  following  table: 


While  the  moth  was  not  discovered  in  Massachusetts  until  May, 
1897,  we  were  able  to  determine  the  area  occupied  in  1896,  since  this 
area  of  necessity  was  the  same  as  that  in  which  the  hibernated  cater- 
pillars were  found  in  the  spring  of  1897.  For  the  same  reason  it  is 
not  possible  to  give  the  area  occupied  in  1900  until  a  fall  examination 
is  made. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  fall  inspection  of  1899  showed  the 
presence  of  the  moth  at  Seabrook,  N.  H.,  some  40  miles  from  the  point 
of  its  introduction.  Since  it  has  now  passed  beyond  the  borders  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  any  legislation  looking  to  the  control  of  the 
insect  would  involve  cooperation  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. Indeed,  Maine  should  be  added  to  the  list,  for  a  small  colony 
of  the  pest  was  located  at  South  Berwick,  Me.,  b}^  Prof.  F.  L.  Harvey, 
as  described  in  Bulletin  No.  61  of  the  Maine  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station.  Infestation  at  this  point  was  doubtless  due  to  the  transporta- 
tion of  household  goods  from  a  badly  infested  estate  in  Somerville, 
Mass.,  at  the  height  of  the  1897  outbreak. 


Colorado  is  of  peculiar  interest  from  an  entomological  standpoint. 
The  Great  American  Desert  lying  along  her  eastern  border  shuts  out 
a  very  large  proportion  of  the  fauna  of  the  Middle  and  Eastern  States. 
The  mountains  and  barren  wastes  beyond  her  western  border  keep 
back  most  of  the  fauna  of  the  Pacific  States,  and  the  backbone  of  the 
continent  rising  to  more  than  11,000  feet  in  places  and  extending  north 
and  south  forms  an  almost  complete  barrier  to  the  intermingling  of 
eastern  and  western  species  within  the  State,  except  in  case  of  those 
which  follow  in  the  wake  of  civilization  and  which  are  transported  by 
man  from  place  to  place.  The  insect  fauna,  because  of  the  barrenness 
of  a  large  portion  of  Colorado,  is  small  in  individuals,  while  the  num- 
ber of  species,  because  of  the  great  variation  in  climatic  conditions 
and  in  plant  life,  is  very  high. 

These  barriers  to  the  migration  of  insects  have  been  of  great  service- 
to  the  people,  for  many  of  the  pests  that  are  common  through  the 
Eastern  States  have  not  yet  reached  us.    In  some  instances  this  isola- 


Area  infested,  fall  of — 


Square  miles. 


1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 


29 
158 
448 
928 


ENTOMOLOGICAL  NOTES  FROM  COLORADO. 


By  Clarence  P.  Gillette,  Fort  Collins,  Colo. 


77 


t ion  has  seemed  to  be  as  positive  a  disadvantage,  and  that  is  where 
insects  have  been  imported  without  nature's  checks  being  brought 
with  them.  A-  ;t  result  they  have  increased  to  an  unprecedented 
extent  before  the  balance  of  nature  was  restored. 

It  is  my  object  to  give  you  a  partial  bird's-eye  view  of  Colorado's 
condition  from  the  standpoint  of  an  economic  entomologist.  It  will 
be  impossible  to  mention  more  than  a  few  of  the  important  insect 

enemies. 

The  codling  moth  was  unknown  in  several  fruit  growing-  regions  of 
the  State  ten  years  ago.  but  now  it  is  a  serious  drawback  to  the  suc- 
cessful culture  of  the  apple  in  every  apple-growing  section  of  any 
considerable  size.  In  the  warmer  portions  it  is  so  bad  as  to  almost 
dishearten  the  orchardist,  and  those  who  do  not  attend  well  to  the 
application  of  the  best  remedies  are  barely  aide  to  market  any  perfect 
fruit  except  of  the  early  varieties  that  catch  the  larva*  of  the  first 
brood  only.  Spraying  with  arsenites  ifi  quite  generally  practiced, 
and  white  arsenic  is  preferred  by  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
growers  because  of  its  cheapness  and  ease  of  distribution.  Bands  of 
burlap  are  quite  extensively  used  and  with  results  that  fully  warrant 
their  continuance  as  a  means  of  capturing  the  larva'. 

A  habit  of  the  larva  that  I  have  not  seen  mentioned  in  any  publica- 
tion upon  this  insect  was  reported  tome  last  year.  Mr.  A.  Y.  Sharpe, 
of  Fruita,  Colo.,  at  the  time  acting  horticultural  inspector  for  Mesa 
County,  wrote  me  that  a  neighbor  had  taken  larvae  of  the  codling 
moth  in  considerable  numbers  under  fresh  bands  put  upon  the  trees 
early  in  the  spring.  To  test  how  extensive  this  spring  migrating 
habit  is  I  had  bands  put  upon  trees  in  several  localities  of  the  State 
the  pa>t  >pring,  and  a  small  number  of  the  larvae  were  taken,  but 
hardly  a  sufficient  number  to  make  it  advisable  to  adopt  this  method  of 
combating  the  first  brood. 

Another  matter  of  considerable  interest  in  connection  with  the  life 
habits  of  this  insect  was  reported  at  a  horticultural  meeting  at  Grand 
Junction  la  t  winter,  and  well  authenticated.  A  gentleman,  whose 
name  I  can  not  recall,  stated  that  a  year  or  two  previous  he  selected  a 
number  of  barrels  of  very  choice  apples  at  the  time  of  gathering  in 
the  fall  and  put  them  in  a  pit  for  the  winter.  He  said  he  took  par- 
ticular pains  to  put  no  wormy  apples  in  the  pit,  but  when  he  opened 
the  pit  and  took  out  the  apples  late  in  the  winter  he  found  to  his 
astonishment  that  nearly  every  apple  had  a  wormhole  in  it.  The 
supposition  was  that  a  late  brood  of  moths  had  deposited  eggs  upon  the 
apples,  and  that  they  hatched  and  matured  larvae  in  the  pit. 

I  should  be  glad  to  know  if  other  members  of  the  association  have 
met  with  such  an  instance  in  their  experience-  with  this  insect. 

Two  leaf-rollers.  (  heoecia  8<  mift  rana  and  ( '.  argyrospUa.  These  two 
species,  of  wide  distribution  over  the  country,  have  never  been  known 


78 


to  do  much  harm  outside  of  a  small  region  situated  near  the  foothills 
along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rockies  in  the  northern  half  of  Colorado. 
In  this  region,  during  the  past  ten  years,  the}'  have  been  very  serious 
pests.  C.  semiferana  confines  its  attacks  in  the  region  mentioned 
entirely  to  the  box-elder,  while  C.  argyrosjpUa  is  a  very  general  feeder, 
being  able  to  subsist  upon  the  foliage  of  almost  any  deciduous  tree  or 
shrub.  I  have  seen  small  orchards  entirely  defoliated  by  this  specie! 
so  that  not  a  green  leaf  could  be  seen,  and  the  box-elder  species  has 
been  equally  destructive  to  the  foliage  of  that  tree.  At  present  these 
insects  have  nearly  disappeared  in  Larmier  County,  but  they  are  still 
very  destructive  in  the  vicinity  of  Denver  and  Boulder. 

The  case  seems  to  be  one  where  two  closely-related  insects  reached, 
at  about  the  same  time,  a  region  where  their  food-plants  were  abund- 
ant and  their  enemies  scarce.  As  they  have  risen  and  fallen  together 
in  numbers,  it  seems  probable  that  they  are  controlled  in  a  state  of 
nature  by  the  same  checks.  We  have  bred  not  less  than  ten  species  of 
parasites  from  them. 

The  habit  of  the  female  of  C.  semiferana  in  shingling  her  egg  patches 
with  the  large  fiat  scales  from  the  underside  of  her  abdomen  is  unique' 
among  insects  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware.  Does  anyone  present 
know  of  a  similar  habit  in  another  species  \ 

The  peach-twig  borer,  Anarsia  lineatella,  has  become  a  serious 
enemy  in  peach  orchards  on  the  western  slope  within  the  State.  It 
has  done  much  injury  this  year  in  pruning  back  the  new  growth  on 
young  trees,  and  promises  to  occasion  a  heavy  loss  of  fruit  a  little 
later  as  the  first  brood  has  matured  in  large  numbers.  The  most 
promising  remedy  so  far  seems  to  lie  in  the  use  of  bands  upon  the 
trunks  of  the  trees  for  capture  of  the  larvae,  as  in  case  of  the  codling 
moth. 

The  peach  borer,  Sannina  exitiosa,  is  present  in  the  peach-growing 
sections,  but  for  some  reason  does  not  do  serious  harm  as  yet. 

The  currant  borer,  Sesia  tipuliformis,  is  as  abundant  in  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  State  as  1  have  ever  known  it  anywhere. 

The  woolly  plant  louse,  Schizoneura  lanigera,  probabty  ranks  next 
to  the  codling  moth  in  importance  as  a  pest  in  apple  orchards  in  the 
State,  and  is  particularly  abundant  on  the  west  slope.  Tobacco  dust 
is  taking  the  lead  as  a  remedy  for  the  root  form.  The  number  of 
trees  actually  killed  by  this  insect  in  the  State  have  been  quite  small. 

The  pear  and  cherry  tree  slug,  E'riocampoides  limacina,  is  very 
destructive,  particularly  to  pear  foliage,  wherever  remedies  are  not 
promptly  applied  for  its  destruction.  It  is  worst  at  present  on  the 
western  slope. 

The  San  Jose  scale  is  as  yet  unknown  within  the  State.  The  only 
member  of  the  family  Coccida1  that  has  attracted  any  special  attention 
is  Aspidioi/us  ancyhis:  which  I  have  seen  rather  abundant  on  several 


79 


occasions  upon  pear  trees  and  which  has  in  a  few  instances  killed  plum 
trees  on  the  western  slope. 

The  brown  mite,  Bryobia  pratensis,  occurs  in  myriads  in  orchards 
in  the  western  portion  of  the  State.  As  early  as  May  20  of  this  year 
the  foliage  of  many  pear,  apple,  and  plum  trees  was  showing  very  dis- 
tinctly the  bleaching  effect  of  the  attack  of  these  mites.  In  the  winter 
time  there  are  portions  of  the  trunk  and  limbs  of  the  trees  that  are 
colored  red  with  myriads  of  eggs  that  are  to  hatch  the  spring  brood. 
The  i'ws  an-  readily  destroyed  by  strong  applications  of  kerosene 
emulsion  or  by  the  lime.  salt,  and  sulphur  mixture4,  and  the  ordinary 
kerosene  emulsion  destroys  tin'  mites  after  they  hatch. 

Some  farm  and  garden  pests  are  as  abundant  in  Colorado  as  anywhere, 
and  among  these  are  the  imported  cabbage  butterfly,  IHeris  rapa, 
the  cabbage  louse,  Aphis  brassicas^  the  cabbage  Plutella,  P.  crucifera- 
rum,  the  pea  weevil,  the  squash  bug,  the  onion  thrips,  and  cutworms. 
In  addition  we  have  the  bean  beetle,  very  destructive  to  wax  beans, 
and  other  enemies  of  le-^  importance. 

The  beet  army  worm.  Laphygma  fiammaculata.  made  a  very  inter- 
esting record  for  itself  last  year  in  localities  in  the  State  where  sugar 
beet-  were  grown.  I  can  not  find  that  the  insect  has  ever  been  reported 
as  an  injurious  species  before. 

Specimens  -cut  i«»  Prof.  J.  W.  Smith  were  named  for  me  as  above, 
and  I  afterward-  found  that  there  were  specimens  of  the  moth  in  the 
collection  that  had  been  taken  at  night  at  Denver  and  at  Boulder. 

My  attention  was  tirsf  called  to  the  insect  a- a  beet  enemy  by  Mr. 
C.  E.  Mitchell,  with  the  Colorado  Sugar  Manufacturing  Company, 
Grand  Junction.  Colo.  Mr.  Mitchell  tirst  wrote  to  another  person, 
about  the  L'nth  of  July  (the  letter  never  coming  into  my  hands),  stating 
that  a  worm  had  appealed  in  considerable  numbers  upon  beets  in  por- 
tions of  Grand  Valley.  On  July  29  Mr.  Mitchell  wrote,  saying:  ;4The 
worms  have  disappeared  almost  entirely  during  the  past  week.  They 
seem  to  have  gone  into  the  ground.''  On  the  12th  of  August  a  tele- 
gram was  received  from  Mr.  Mitchell  stating  that  the  worms  had  again 
appeared,  and  asking  me  to  go  at  once  to  investigate  the  matter. 
This  I  did.  The  caterpillars  were  scattered  to  some  extent  over  the 
entire  area  planted  to  beets,  but  the  chief  injuries  were  upon  newly 
broken  ground  between  Grand  Junction  and  Palisades.  Not  less  than 
200  acres  of  beets  had  their  leaves  badly  stripped,  and  fully  half  this 
acreage  was  so  badly  eaten  down  that  the  crop  was  not  worth  harvest- 
ing. When  the  beet  leaves  were  devoured,  the  caterpillars  ate  in  just 
beneath  the  crown  and  then  went  down  on  the  beet.  In  fields  where 
the  beet  leaves  were  mostly  eaten  away,  the  caterpillars  were  crawling 
over  the  ground  in  all  directions  in  search  of  food,  and  they  seemed 
to  be  able  to  make  use  of  almost  any  green  thing  for  this  purpose. 
Potatoes  in  some  cases  suffered  badly,  as  did  small  fruit  trees  where 


80 


beets  were  planted  in  an  orchard.  August  16  the  worms  were  pupating 
rapidly,  about  an  inch  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  though  there 
were  many  very  young  larvae  still  on  the  beets.  September  10  the 
moths  were  hatching  in  great  numbers,  and  there  were  still  scattering 
caterpillars  on  the  beets.  As  mature  ova  could  not  be  found  in  the 
female  moths  at  this  time,  and  no  more  larvae  appeared,  it  seems 
probable  that  the  moths  hibernate  during  winter.  The  sudden  appear- 
ance of  this  insect  in  such  numbers  is  almost  unaccountable.  For 
several  years  a  few  parties  had  been  growing  beets,  in  an  experimental 
way,  about  Grand  Junction,  but  no  caterpillars  had  ever  been  seen 
before,  so  far  as  I  was  able  to  learn.  Last  year  a  sugar  factory  was 
erected,  and  a  large  acreage  of  beets  was  grown  for  the  first  time  in 
that  region.  At  Delta,  a  town  50  miles  distant  by  rail,  and  at  Mont- 
rose, 70  miles  distant,  where  beets  were  also  grown,  the  caterpillars 
appeared  in  considerable  numbers,  but  Avere  not  so  numerous  as  near 
Grand  Junction.  The  larvae  were  also  sent  me  from  Rockyford,  where 
they  were  common  on  experimental  beets,  but  not  numerous  enough 
to  attract  much  attention.1 

The  Arkansas  Valley  forms  a  sort  of  thoroughfare  through  which 
insect  pests  have  come  to  Colorado  from  the  East.  It  was  here  we 
first  found  the  strawberry  leaf-roller,  PJtoxojjf, eris  comptana,  whic  h  is 
established  as  a  serious  pest  on  both  slopes  of  the  Rockies  in  limited 
localities.  The  cucumber  beetle,  Diahrotica  mttata,  is  a  recognized 
pest  upon  melon  vines  about  Rockyford,  but  seems  to  have  done  no 
special  harm  in  other  localities,  and  the  melon  louse,  now  generally 
distributed  over  the  State,  seems  to  have  reached  us  by  the  same 
route.  Other  insect  enemies  deserve  mention,  but  I  refrain  from 
occupying  more  of  your  time. 

NOTES  ON  INSECTS  OF  ECONOMIC  IMPORTANCE  FOR  1900. 

By  W.  <i.  Johnson,  College  Park,  Mil. 

The  apple  aphis.  Aphis  mali  Fab.,  has  been  unusually  abundant  on 
apples  this  year.  It  was  the  first  pest  of  any  consequence  that  occa- 
sioned much  correspondence.  Twigs  entirely  incrusted  with  eggs  of 
this  species  were  frequently  sent  to  the  office  during  the  fall  and 
winter.  The  attack  this  springwas  very  general,  especially  in  young 
orchards.  I  also  found  the  same  insect  very  common  upon  Kieller 
pears  in  many  places.    The  injury  to  apples  has  been  very  great. 

The  apple-tree  tent  caterpillar,  CMsiocampa  americana  llarr.,  ap- 
peared this  spring  on  apples  in  all  sections  of  the  State.  Many  trees 
were  entirely  defoliated,    [n  one  instance  I  found  a  nest  in  a  peach 

'  I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  my  assistant,  Mr.  K  J).  Ball,  bearing  date  of 
.June  17,  in  which  lie  Htaten  that  the  beet  caterpillars  have  been  hatching  for  a  week 
at  liockyford,  and  that  in  Home  lields  the  beets,  arc  half  eaten  up  now. 


81 


tree  whore  the  caterpillars  had  been  feeding.  This  was  the  first  and 
only  colony  of  these  insects  observed  by  us  injuring  peaches. 

The  asparagus  beetle,  both  Cr'wceris  asparagi  Linn,  and  C.  12- punc- 
tata Linn.,  wore  present  this  season  in  the  asparagus-growing  areas. 
The  former  species  was  very  conspicuous,  especially  on  young  aspara- 
gus beds,  in  which  much  damage  was  done.  The  latter  species  was  seen 
only  three  times  during  the  early  part  of  the  season.  Hand  picking 
of  the  beetles  was  resorted  to  in  most  cases  where  young  beds  were 
attacked. 

The  bean  leaf-beetle,  (Vrotormi  trifurcata  Forst.,  which  we  first  ob- 
served in  this  State  in  1896,  was  again  very  destructive  to  wax  and 
Lima  bran-  throughout  the  trucking  areas.  The  earlv  varieties  were 
more  severely  injured  than  the  later  ones.  Paris  green  in  land 
plaster,  at  the  rate  of  1  pound  in  80  to  100  pounds,  dusted  over  the 
plants  as  the  leaves  expanded,  proved  an  elective  remedy.  This  was 
repeated  two  or  three  times  at  intervals  of  a  week  or  ten  days. 

The  black  aphis  of  violets.  Bhopalosiphum  viola  Perg..  was  dis- 
covered in  two  greenhouses  doing  serious  injury  to  violets. 

The  clover-leaf  weevil.  Phytonnmus  punrtntns  Fab.,  was  very  com- 
mon over  a  large  area  of  the  State.  Clover  was  injured  to  a  consider- 
able extent  early  in  the  season,  and  many  growers  were  apprehensive 
about  the  safety  of  their  crop.  A  fungous  disease,  Emputut  (  Eittomo- 
phthom  i  sj.Jnt  r>>*j»  /■//>".  appeared  upon  the  larva1,  and  by  the  middle  of 
May  it  w  as  difficult  to  find  a  living  specimen.  Their  dead  bodies  were 
coiled  about  leaves,  stems,  grass  blades,  etc.  The  disease  was  wide- 
spread throughout  the  State,  and  of  the  same  virulent  character. 

The  Colorado  potato  beetle,  Doryphorq  tO-Uneata  Say,  has  been  a 
pest  of  a  more  serious  character  than  one  year  ago.  Paris  green, 
applied  both  dry  and  in  solution  with  Bordeaux  mixture,  has  been 

effective. 

The  strawberry  leaf-roller.  Phoxopteris  oornpta/na  Froel. ,  has  been 
observed  bv  us  doing  slight  damage  to  strawberries  in  Anne  Arundel 
and  Caroline  counties.  In  both  cases  hand  picking  of  the  leaves  was 
resorted  to,  as  spraying  was  not  desirable. 

The  destructive  green  pea  louse.  X<  <  t</ r<>j>]t<>r<i  destructor  Johns. ,  has 
maintained  its  notorious  reputation  as  a  ravenous  pest  to  peas,  and  has 
this  year  extended  its  ravages  into  the  Northwest  (Wisconsin).  The 
loss  estimated  along  the  Atlantic  Coast  States  is  placed  at  84.000,000 
at  this  time  (June  15);  while  the  losses  in  the  central  West  and  the 
Northwest  t  an  not  be  estimated  at  this  time.  [Later:  August  14  the 
writer  received  a  letter  from  William  Lorsen  &  Co..  of  Green  Bay. 
Wis.,  in  which  they  said  they  had  planted  2,100  acres  of  peas, and  had 
a  fair  crop  upon  all  except  the  late  plantings.  About  the  20th  of  July 
they  noticed  the  louse  upon  a  500-acre  field  just  ready  to  bloom,  and  in 
less  than  a  week  all  the  peas  were  dead  and  brown]. 
6878— No.  26  <> 


82 


We  have  found  sprays  of  all  kinds  ineffective.  Our  most  satis- 
factory results  were  obtained  when  we  brushed  the  lice  from  the 
plants  and  covered  them  with  earth,  using  an  Iron  Age  cultivator  for 
that  purpose.  We  have  designated  this  the  "brush  and  cultivator 
method."  [For  a  more  complete  account  of  this  pest  see  author's 
paper  on  page  55]. 

The  fruit-tree  bark-beetle,  Scolytus  rugulosus  Ratz.,  has  been  a  very 
conspicuous  insect  in  orchard  trees  this  season,  especially  those  injured 
hy  the  severe  freeze  of  Februaiy,  1899. 

The  harlequin  cabbage  bug,  Murgantia  histrionica Hahn.,  has  not 
been  reported  from  any  locality  this  season.  We  attribute  its  scarce- 
ness to  the  freeze  of  1899. 

The  Hessian  fly,  Cecidomyia  destructor  Say,  has  been  very  destruc- 
tive to  all  early  sown  wheat.  Some  late  sowings  were  also  injured. 
The  fall  of  1899  being  very  open,  the  fly  seemed  to  continue  its  depo- 
sition of  eggs  much  later  than  usual. 

The  imbricated  snout-beetle,  Epiccerus  imbricatus  Saj^,  was  reported 
to  me  as  injuring  the  leaves  of  cantaloupe  in  Washington  County 
May  23. 

The  imported  cabbage  worm,  Pieris  rapce  Linn.,  has  maintained  its 
rapacious  habits  and  done  much  injury  to  cabbage  over  a  wide  area  of 
the  State.  Paris  green,  1  pound  in  100  pounds  of  land  plaster,  has 
been  the  most  useful  remedy. 

The  imported  currant  worm,  Pteromis  rihesii  Scop.,  has  been  a  very 
serious  pest  upon  the  currant  and  gooseberry  in  all  parts  of  the  State 
where  these  fruits  are  grown.  Both  Paris  green  and  hellebore  were 
used  with  satisfactory  results.  Hand  picking  was  resorted  to  in  many 
cases. 

The  Mediterranean  flour  moth,  Ep hestia  Jcuehniella  Zell.,  has  been 
sent  to  me  from  New  York,  Penns}Tlvania,  Ohio,  Canada,  and  Aus- 
tralia the  past  season.  We  have  found,  by  actual  trial,  that  hydro- 
cyanic-acid gas  is  the  most  perfect  and  effectual  remedy  yet  tried  for 
the  flour  moth  and  other  mill  pests.  Large  mills  in  Ohio,  Penn- 
sylvania, Canada,  Oregon,  and  Texas  have  been  successfully  fumigated 
in  accordance  with  the  writer's  directions.  [For  specific  directions  for 
using  this  gas  in  mills,  etc.,  see  author's  articles  in  the  44 American 
Miller"  (Chicago,  111.),  for  September  and  November,  1899.] 

The  melon  plant-louse,  Aphis  gossypii  Glov.,  has  again  appeared 
in  Maiyland  and  promises  to  do  serious  damage  in  certain  sections. 
[August:  Was  not  so  serious  a  pest  as  was  anticipated.  It  was  held 
in  check  by  lady  beetles  and  parasites].  Hand  picking  of  leaves  when 
first  noticed  and  spraying  others  with  10  to  12  per  cent  kerosene 
emulsion  were  very  effective. 

The  pale-si  riped  flea-beetle,  Systi  na  l>l<ni<h<  Mels.,  was  again  a  serious 
pest  lo  young  tomato  plants  during  the  latter  part  of  May.  No  satis- 
factory remedy  has  been  found. 


83 


The  pear-tree  pay  11a,  P^yUa  pyricola  Forst.,  is  doing-  considerable 
injury  to  some  pear  orchards  in  Kent  County.  Many  trees  were 
practically  killed  last  season  in  the  same  orchards  by  this  pest.  Xo 
satisfactory  remedy  yet  found. 

The  plum  eurculio.  Conot  rnclnhts  nemipJuir  Hbst..  while  present  in 
all  part- of  the  State  in  both  peach  and  plum  orchards,  is  not  doing 
serious  injury.  [The  so-called  June  drop  in  Maryland  peach  belts 
Vf&S  comparatively  light  this  season.] 

The  rose-chafer,  'Maerodactyhi*  *uhsj)hw*}i*  Fab.,  has  been  reported 
in  one  or  two  cases  as  injuring"  grapes  on  the  Eastern  Shore.  It  has 
not  been  abundant  since  the  181*9  freeze. 

Tlx-  San  .Jose  scale,  Aftptdlotua  prruicioxu*  Comst.,  has  occupied  a 
great  deal  of  our  attention.  It  is  still  the  most  serious  orchard  pest 
we  have  to  contend  with.  Many  new  localities  have  been  discovered 
by  our  inspections.  We  have  found  20  to  2;~>  per  cent  kerosene  and 
water  on  peach  just  before  the  buds  open  very  effective.  We  do  not 
advise  this  strength  for  fall  and  winter  on  the  peach.  As  a  spring 
spray  it  has  been  very  satisfactory  in  bur  mountain  peach  belt.  After 
the  fruit  is  gathered  we  will  use  a  1<>  per  cent  kerosene  spray  on  infested 
trees.  [The  writer  saw  large  blocks  of  peach  in  Georgia  in  July  that 
had  been  sprayed  with  1<»  per  cent  kerosene  and  water  just  after  the 
fruit  was  removed.  The  scale  was  in  most  instances  killed,  with  little 
or  no  injury  to  the  foliage.  In  all  cases  some  leaves  were  injured,  but 
not  enough  to  cause  serious  damage.  On  the  other  hand,  however, 
where  a  LO  per  cent  crude  petroleum  and  water  solution  was  used 
the  foliage  was  badly  hurt  and  falling  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  July 
14).  As  previously  stated  in  former  publications,  the  writer  advises 
growers  to  use  kerosene)  even  in  diluted  form,  with  every  caution. 
It  is  a  dangerous  Bubstance. 

Tin-  >talk  worm  of  tobacco,  Cramhns  vol  igiao^Uus  Clem.,  known 
also  as  the  sooty  corn-root  webworm.  has  been  conspicuous  in  young 
tobacco,  especially  upon  grass  or  sod  lands.  No  satisfactory  remedy 
has  been  found  as  yet.  Planters  should  avoid  setting  tobacco  on  sod 
land. 

The  striped  blister  beetle,  Spicmda  vittata  Fab.,  as  usual,  has  been 
quite  a  serious  pest  in  tomato  and  potato  fields.  In  one  instance  it 
destroyed  a  field  of  beets. 

The  striped  cucumber  beetle.  JJiah rot n-a  vittata  Fab.,  has  been  quite 
common  in  cantaloupe  fields.    No  satisfactory  remedy  found. 

The  white-marked  tussock  moth.  Orgyia  leucostigma  S.  &  A.,  as 
last  \  ear.  has  appeared  in  considerable  numbers  upon  shade  trees  in 
Baltimore. 

GENERAL  NOTES. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  potato-stalk  weevil,  Trichoharis  trlno- 
f.itu.  has  been  quite  prevalent  in  the  State  in  potatoes. 

Pemphigus  acerifolii  Riley,  reported  by  me  as  doing  injury  to 
maples  at  the  Agricultural  College  in  1898  and  1899,  has  been  quite 


84 


abundant  this  season.  The  pest ,  disappears  about  the  first  week  in 
July. 

The  bagworm,  Thyridopteryx  ephemermformis,  has  been  a  serious 
pest  in  many  places  in  the  State  to  arbor  vitae,  apple,  and  locust.  In 
two  instances  it  injured  apple  trees  in  the  nursery  rows.  Hand  pick- 
ing was  very  effectual. 

The  black  peach  aphis.  Aphis  prunicola,  was  quite  abundant  in 
some  young  peach  orchards  in  May. 

In  three  cases  a  June  beetle,  Anomala  Mnotata,  was  reported  as  eat- 
ing the  foliage  from  pear  and  apple  trees. 

The  red-legged  flea  beetle,  Crepidodera  rufipes  Linn.,  was  sent  tome 
from  three  localities  where  it  was  found  injuring  the  foliage  of  young- 
peach  trees.  The  trees  in  all  cases  were  planted  on  newly  cleared 
lands. 

The  American  elm  scale,  OMonaspis  americana  Johns.,  was  sent  to 
me  from  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  from  Ames,  Iowa,  upon  elm. 

An  undetermined  species  of  Lecaniodiaspis  was  found  by  the  writer 
in  Baltimore  County  upon  wild  honeysuckle  (Dier villa). 

An  undetermined  species  of  aphis  and  cutworm  was  found  doing 
serious  injury  to  lettuce  in  a  greenhouse  in  Montgomery  County. 

INSECTS  OF  THE  YEAR  IN  OHIO. 

By  F.  M.  Webster,  Wooster,  Ohio. 

In  point  of  destruction  the  Hessian  fly  outranks  every  other  insect, 
when  considered  in  connection  with  the  wheat  crop  of  1900.  It  is 
doubtful  if  there  will  be  over  20  per  cent  of  an  average  crop  in  Ohio; 
the  remaining  80  per  cent  may  be  largely  charged  up  to  the  ravages 
of  this  pest.  As  an  average  crop  in  Ohio  amounts  to,  approximately, 
40,000,000  bushels,  the  loss  may  be  computed  at  32,000,000  bushels, 
which  at  the  ruling  market  price  would  mean  a  loss  of  $22,400,000, 
at  least  three-fourths  of  which,  or  $16,800,000,  can  justly  be  charged 
up  to  the  ravages  of  the  Hessian  fly.  More  extended  studies  of  this 
outbreak  and  some  of  the  meteorological  phenomena  connected  there- 
with are  given  in  another  paper.  The  unprecedented  abundance  of  the 
pest  this  year  may  be  attributed  largely  to  the  almost  total  lack  of 
parasites,  the  retardation  of  the  fall  brood  over  the  northern  half  of 
the  State  and  the  extremely  favorable  weather  during  the  autumn 
of  L899,  which  enabled  all  but  the  very  latest  deposited  eggs  to  hatch 
and  the  Larvae  develop  to  the  "flaxseeds"  and  thereby  defy  theadvQjFse 
influences  of  winter.  In  many  Localities  the  Later  sown  wheat  escaped 
Call  attack,  and  up  to  May  L,  L900,  was  uninjured,  but  the  flies  devel- 
oping in  the  earlier  sown  fields  seemed  to  have  migrated  en  masse  and 
settled  down  on  those  sown  later,  and  the  result  is  that  in  many  cases 
the  destruction  Ls  as  complete  in  the  one  as  in  the  other. 


85 


During  the  fall  of  1899  the  fall  army  worm,  Iaphygmafrwpperda, 
committed  serious  depredations  in  southern  Ohio,  especially  in  Wash- 
ington. Gallia,  and  Scioto  counties.  During  March  of  the  present 
year  complaints  came  from  the  same  section  of  the  State,  setting  forth 
the  continued  ravages  of  this  pest.  As  this  seemed  improbable,  an 
assistant  was  sent  to  investigate  the  matter.  That  there  was  being 
considerable  injury  done  in  fields  of  young  wheat  there  appeared  to 
be  no  doubt,  and  an  ample  supply  of  the  depredators  were  secured, 
but.  instead  of  the  supposed  L.  frugi/perda^  the  pest  proved  to  be  no 
other  than  the  spotted  cutworm.  Xoctvn  c-niyrum,  the  larva'  having 
evidently  lived  over  in  the  fields,  probably  above  ground.  I  clearly 
recollect  finding  the  larvae  of  this  same  species  feeding  on  young 
wheat  in  the  fields  during  a  January  thaw  at  Lafayette.  Ind..  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago. 

Early  in  May  of  the  present  year  there  came  complaints  of  the 
attack  of  cutworms  on  the  extensive  onion  farms  in  Hardin  County. 
A  personal  investigation  of  these  complaints  resulted  in  my  observing 
two  separate  invasions,  the  depredators  being  ( "// /•//'  </<  *  1rss,  lhit<i  and 
( \  insignata. 

The  worms  ranged  in  length  from  nearly  three-fourths  inch  down- 
ward to  about  one-fourth  inch  in  length.  In  one  case  they  were  mak- 
ing their  way  from  a  tract  of  ground  which  had  been  planted  to  corn 
last  year  and  had  been  somewhat  neglected  and  grown  up  to  weeds, 
though  there  won1  almost  none  of  these  growing  there  at  the  time  of 
my  visit    The  other  outbreak  had  originated  near  where  a  large  lot 

of  potatoes  had  been  pitted  last  fall  and  remained  there  over  winter. 
Here,  too,  there  was  no  vegetation  on  which  the  worms  could  have 
subsisted  up  to  this  time.  The  cutworms  in  each  case  would  follow 
the  lows  of  young  onions,  taking  nearly  every  one  as  they  went,  in 
one  case  invading  the  field  at  the  ends  of  the  rows  and  in  the  other 
along  one  side.  Larva1  brought  to  the  insectary  ted  on  red  clover,  the 
adult  motAs  appearing  largely  on  June  hut  others  continued  to  put 
in  their  appearance  for  several  days. 

A  mixture  of  wheat  bran  and  arsenic,  mixed  into  a  dough  with 
sweetened  water  and  thi>  placed  under  boards  laid  down  in  the  midst 
of  where  the  worms  were  at  work,  proved  very  effective  and  soon 
reduced  their  numbers. 

It  is  not  often  that  the  wheat  wireworm  is  known  to  attack  other 
grains.  An  instance,  however,  was  brought  to  notice  this  spring- 
where  a  wheat  field  that  had  been  hopelessly  ruined  from  the  attacks 
of  Hessian  fiy  last  fall  had  been  plowed  up  this  spring  and  planted 
with  corn.  May  28  the  owner  of  the  field,  Mr.  E.  R.  Emerich,  of 
Greenville,  Ohio,  wrote  me  saying  that  the  corn  had  been  badly 
injured  by  these  worms,  specimens  of  which  accompanied  his  letter  of 
complaint. 


86 


One  of  the  most  serious  outbreaks  of  the  corn  billbug,  Sphenoph- 
urns  sculptilis,  occurred  in  a  field  of  timothy  of  three  years'  standing, 
containing  35  acres,  which  was  broken  during  March  of  the  present 
year,  and  on  the  13th  of  May  was  planted  with  corn.  June  6  the 
owner  came  to  me  with  specimens  of  this  beetle,  claiming  that  the 
corn  over  the  entire  field  had  either  been  killed  outright  or  hopelessly 
ruined  from  attacks  of  this  pest.  A  visit  to  the  field  a  few  da}^s  later 
revealed  a  state  of  affairs  that  had  not  been  overdrawn  by  its  owner, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  acres  along  one  side,  over  which  it  was 
represented  the  timothy  had  been  killed  out  by  some  unknown  cause 
and  redtop  had  taken  its  place.  Here  the  injury  had  been  ver}T  slight, 
but  through  the  remainder  of  the  field  the  damage  was  almost  total. 
The  owner  had  noticed  that  much  timothy  the  year  before  whitened 
and  died,  but  had  not  learned  the  cause.  On  examination  I  was  able 
to  find  a  considerable  abundance  of  the  timothy  roots  that  had  been 
hollowed  out,  clearly  by  the  larvse  of  this  insect.  While  slight  inju- 
ries by  this  pest  are  not  uncommon  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  I 
never  before  saw  so  large  a  field  of  corn  so  thoroughly  and  effectually 
destroyed  by  these  insects.  In  this  case  the  only  thing  it  seemed  pos- 
sible to  advise  was  the  replanting  of  the  field  between  the  old  rows, 
leaving  the  remnant  of  the  first  planting  to  engage  the  insects  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  their  life,  and  thus,  as  it  was  hoped,  to  keep 
them  away  from  the  second  planting. 

Onion  thrips,  Thrips  tabaci,  were  excessively  abundant  in  some 
localities  last  year.  In  order  to  learn  something  about  the  winter 
habit  of  this  insect  frequent  visits  were  made  to  onion  fields  where 
it  occurred  in  greatest  abundance  during  the  fall  of  1899.  These  vis- 
its were  made  during  the  entire  winter  whenever  the  weather  was 
suitable,  the  result  being  that  the  insect  was  found  in  matted  blue 
grass  and  in  the  piles  of  refuse  onions  that  had  been  left  in  the  field,  but 
more  especially  in  the  matted  grass  along  ditches.  It  was  found  to 
winter  over  in  all  stages  except  that  of  the  egg.  A  study  of  the  vari- 
ous onion  fields  in  northern  Ohio  has  shown  that  where  the  surround- 
ings have  been  kept  free  of  matted  grass  and  largely  cultivated  there 
has  been  the  least  injury  from  these  insects.  The  fact  that  it  winters 
over  in  several  stages  of  development  fully  explains  the  difficulty  of 
tracing  out  generat  ions  in  the  field.  On  one  extensive  onion  planta- 
tion that  has  heretofore  been  intersected  by  open  ditches,  the  banks  of 
which  were  grown  up  with  blue  grass,  the  experiment  of  destroying 
this  grass  is  being  carried  out.  As  the  field  is  situated  on  muck  latid 
it  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  burn  these  grassy  banks  over  in  the 
ordinary  way.  and  therefore  they  were  first  sprayed  with  kerosene 
while  the  ground  was  still  frozen  and  then  fired.  Either  by  this 
means  or  by  plowing  all  of  the  grass  along  the  banks  of  the  ditches 
has  been  destroyed,  and  will  be  prevented  from  growing  the  present 


87 


season.  From  all  of  the  information  we  have  at  present  obtained  it 
would  seem  as  though  outbreaks  of  this  pest  may  be  largely  prevented 
in  this  way,  and  it  has  been  demonstrated  by  actual  experimentation 
that  the  insect  can  be  destroyed  by  spraying  the  plants  along  the 
edges  of  the  fields  when  they  first  begin  to  show  the  effects  of  attack 
with  a  mixture  of  1  pound  of  whale-oil  soap  dissolved  in  8  gallons  of 
water. 

Although  this  thrips  in  Russia  is  a  tobacco  insect,  it  invariably 
declined  to  feed  upon  tobacco  with  us,  and  held  strictly  to  the  onion. 
Lest  I  might  be  mistaken  in  regard  to  the  species,  specimens  were  sub- 
mitted to  Mr.  Pergande,  who  compared  them  with  Russian  specimens, 
and  informed  me  that  there  was  no  doubt  but  that  we  were  dealing- 
wit  h  the  true  Thrips  tabaci. 

In  early  April,  1897,  the  writer  found  adults  of  Myochrous  dt  nticoUis 
attacking  young  corn  in  the  fields  in  Tensas  Parish,  La.  No  serious 
injury,  however,  seemed  to  follow,  and  this,  so  far  as  known  to  me,  is 
the  only  published  record  of  the  food  habits  of  the  insect.  On  June 
2  Mr.  Alva  Agee,  of  Cheshire,  Gallia  County,  reported  that  the  insect 
had  attacked  the  young  corn  in  his  neighborhood,  apparently  working 
serious  injury.  Specimens  of  the  beetles  were  sent  with  the  complaint. 
On  June  4  my  assistant.  Mr.  Newell,  was  scut  to  the  locality  to  inves- 
tigate the  outbreak,  and  found  that  the  territory  infested  comprised  all 
the  cornfields  contained  in  an  area  of  3  miles  square.  In  all  cases  the 
infested  cornfields  were  upon  land  which  had  been  the  year  previous 
either  in  pasture  or  lying  out  wild.  A  very  few  of  the  beetles  were 
found  upon  blue  grass.  In  the  insectary,  however,  they  seemed  to 
prefer  corn  first,  next  timothy,  and  lastly  the  blue  grass.  In  this  case 
the  beetles  were  not  observed  to  feed  upon  the  stems  of  the  corn  plant 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  but  upon  the  leaves  and  leaf  sheaths. 
The  feeding  was  done  during  the  morning  and  evening,  or  upon  cloudy 
days.  When  there  were  drifting  clouds  the  beetles  would  come  out 
and  feed  while  the  bud  was  under  a  cloud,  but  go  back  into  their  hiding 
places  in  the  ground  when  the  sun  came  out  bright  and  warm.  Dur- 
ing the  day  they  were  observed  to  hide  in  the  crevices  of  the  soil  and 
in  the  1< >um'  dirt  near  the  corn  plants,  from  2  to  15  being  found  in  close 
proximity  to  the  different  hills.  The  beetles  are  densely  punctate  on 
the  back,  and  these  cavities  retain  more  or  less  of  the  soil,  which  gives 
the  beetles  the  same  general  color  as  the  ground.  They  seem  to  have 
do  inclination  whatever  to  fly,  but  run  quite  rapidly.  One  female  that 
was  dissected  contained  5  yellow,  cylindrical  eggs,  estimated  to  be 
about  1  mm.  in  length. 

It  would  therefore  appear  that  the  insect  is  one  that  feeds  upon,  and 
probably  its  larva'  also  develops  upon  grass.  In  the  latter  stage  it 
appears  to  be  of  subterranean  habits.  At  present  no  remedial  or  pre- 
ventive measures  have  been  tried. 


88 


The  destructive  pea  louse  was  found  in  various  parts  of  the  State 
during  October,  1899.  On  the  grounds  of  the  experiment  station  at 
Wooster  it  was  destroyed  in  myriads  by  the  fungus  Empxma  aphidis, 
as  determined  for  me  by  Dr.  Thaxter.  Owing  to  the  destruction  that 
this  insect  has  caused  along  the  Atlantic  coast  it  was  watched  for  with 
a  great  deal  of  interest  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  season.  A 
small  field  was  sown  with  oats  and  the  Canada  field  pea  during  April, 
but  no  specimens  of  the  insect  could  be  found  upon  the  peas  until  May 
30,  when  a  single  winged  female  was  found  with  a  number  of  young 
upon  the  vines.  At  the  same  time,  what  appeared  to  be  the  same 
insect  was  found  in  greater  abundance  upon  the  red  clover,  growing 
also  on  the  station  grounds.  Specimens  both  from  the  pea  and  the 
red  clover  were  determined  for  me  by  Mr.  Pergande,  through  Dr. 
Howard,  as  Nectarojphora  destructor.  This  coincides  with  a  suspicion 
that  I  have  had  since  the  pest  first  came  to  notice  in  Maryland  and 
through  the  Atlantic  Coast  states,  namely,  that  the  same-thing  occurred 
here  in  Ohio  upon  the  red  clover. 

Last  fall,  however,  we  tried  to  colonize  individuals  taken  from  the 
Canada  field  pea  and  placed  upon  red  clover,  but  failed  in  the  under- 
taking. Although  this  was  not  conclusive  evidence,  nevertheless  it 
seemed  to  some  extent  to  discredit  the  idea  that  the  aphis  on  the  clover 
and  the  one  on  the  pea  are  the  same;  besides,  I  had  fresh  in  my 
mind  the  experience  with  the  tobacco  thrip,  as  previously  stated. 

The  first  report  of  serious  injuries  from  this  pest  came  from  a  firm 
of  growers  and  packers  of  vegetables,  Messrs.  Sears  &  Nichols,  of 
Chillicothe,  who,  under  date  of  June  12,  report  attacks  from  the 
insect  and  severe  damage  in  a  few  spots  in  their  fields  of  growing  peas. 
On  the  station  grounds  the  louse  is  being  destroyed  in  considerable 
numbers  by  a  species  of  Praon. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1898,  there  came  a  complaint  from  Flushing,  Bel- 
mont County,  of  serious  injury  to  the  ripening  strawberries.  Mr. 
Mally,  my  assistant  at  that  time,  was  sent  to  investigate  the  matter. 
Specimens  of  the  bug  Myodocha  serripes,  had  been  sent  by  the  owner  of 
the  premises  as  the  probable  depredator.  Mr.  Mally  was  not  able  to 
solve  the  problem,  but  saw  at  once  that  the  injury  must  have  been  due  to 
the  attacks  of  an  insect  with  a  biting  mouth,  as  it  did  not  appear  to 
depredate  especially  upon  the  pulp  of  the  berry,  but  upon  the  seeds, 
the  hulls  of  which  were  invariably  thickly  strewn  upon  the  ground  or 
fallen  leaves  underneath  the  injured  berries.  There  was  also  a  similar 
complaint  from  Greene  County,  and  this  was  also  accompanied  by  speci- 
mens of  the  same  insect.  Nothing  was  heard  of  this  trouble  last  }rear, 
but  June  11th  of  the  present  year  1  received  a  telegram  from  the 
owner  of  the  premises  at  Flushing,  to  the  effect  that  the  insects  were 
again  at  work  upon  his  strawberries.  A  persona]  visit  to  the  locality 
Very  soon  developed  the  fact  that  the  cause  of  the  damage,  which  was 


89 


severe,  as  it  had  also  been  in  1898,  was  due  to  the  attacks  of  a  large 
black  beetle,  Harpakts  <-<i! i<jlnosus.  Years  ago  I  recorded  the  fact  of 
this  insect  attacking  the  seeds  of  ragweed,  but  it  has  usually  been 
considered  predaceous,  and  therefore  beneficial.  The  beetle  seems 
not  to  care  at  all  for  the  berry,  either  green  or  ripe,  but  in  extracting 
the  seeds  it  leaves  the  ripe  berry  a  pulpy  mass  that  is  absolutely  worth- 
less, while  the  younger  berries  are  so  gnawed  upon  the  surface  as  to  pre- 
\<  nt  their  maturing.  Wherever  the  clusters  of  injured  berries  were 
found  in  the  field  one  or  more  of  these  beetles  was  to  be  found  in  the 
near  vicinity,  generally  hiding  away  under  a  clod,  a  small  stone,  or  in 
holes  in  the  ground.  An  examination  of  the  stomach  of  freshly  caught 
beetles  showed  a  vast  amount  of  the  softer  portions  of  strawberry  seeds 
reduced  to  small  bits.  In  no  case  did  the  hull  of  the  seed  appear  to 
have  been  eaten.  The  beetles  are  large  and  conspicuous,  easily  trapped 
and  killed  when  it  is  once  known  that  they  are  the  authors  of  the  mis- 
chief, hut  in  every  case  where  this  injury  has  been  reported  to  me,  speci- 
mens of  the  Myodocha  have  accompanied  t he  complaint.  I  have  already 
received  other  reports  of  this  injury  from  the  same  vicinity.  One  of 
the  persons  who  has  suffered  from  the  ravages  of  this  insect  states  that 
they  worked  very  badly  on  his  premises  in  lsi»s,  but  not  very  severely 
in  1st*'.!,  but  this  year  again  they  are  seriously  destructive.  Burning 
t  lie  patches  over  does  not  seem  to  be  effective.  From  the  fact  that  the 
Hemipter  has  always  accompanied  the  first  complaints  of  this  trouble, 
I  am  wondering  if  the  published  reports  of  its  injury  in  other  States 
have  not  really  been  due  to  the  work  of  the  Harpalus. 

On  August  28, 1899,  while  Mr.  Mall  v  was  inspecting  a  small  nursery, 
he  found  what  he  took  to  be  larva'  of  the  round-headed  apple-tree 
borer,  working  in  the  bases  of  young  linden  trees.  These  were  trans- 
ferred to  a  breeding  cage  in  the  insectary.  June  15  of  the  present 
year  it  became1  necessary  to  move  this  cage  and  in  the  badly  eaten  and 
partially  decayed  wood  about  4  inches  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  active  larva1  were  found.  On  April  3  of  the  present  year 
there  emerged  from  one  of  these  stumps  an  adult  Saperda  vestita. 
April  -1  the  material  still  remaining  in  the  breeding  cage  was  examined, 
and  one  Larva  and  one  pupa  were  found  still  in  the  wood.  The  larva 
had  worked  in  tin1  wood  and  tap  root  entirely  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  the  upper  limit  of  the  work  of  the  larva  being  from  2  to  4 
inches  below  the  point  that  marked  the  surface  of  the  ground  where 
the  trees  had  been  growing.  When  ready  to  pupate  the  larva  seems 
to  bore  upward  in  the  wood  to  what  would  be  about  on  a  level  with 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  pupates  in  a  cell  cut  diagonally  across 
the  grain  of  the  wood  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees  to  the  upward 
channel.  This  insect  has  always  been  known  as  attacking  the  linden, 
but  I  believe  this  is  the  first  record  of  its  being  found  attacking  trees 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 


90 


Monarthrum  fasciatum  has  been  sent  me  the  present  year  in  the 
adult  stage  boring  in  both  bark  and  wood  of  the  maple. 

JEriococcus  azalece  occurs  quite  abundantly  this  year  on  Rhododendron 
catawbieme.  The  shrub  had  been  growing  on  the  station  grounds  since 
1897,  therefore,  it  had  stood  one  more  severe  winter,  that  of  1898-99. 
The  shrub  was  isolated  and  the  insect  not  at  all  likely  to  have  been 
introduced  since  it  was  planted. 

Colasjpis  brunnea  has  been  excessively  abundant  this  year  and  has 
been  reported  as  destroying  young  buckwheat  and  beans.  1  have  also 
noted  it  attacking  four-o'clocks. 

Pseudoccocus  aceris  has  attacked  the  hard  maples,  Acer  saccharina 
to  quite  a  serious  extent  in  New  Philadelphia.  No  other  variety  of 
maple  was  injured. 

NOTES  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

By  C.  W.  Woodworth,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

This  being,  I  believe,  the  first  time  a  member  from  California  has 
attended  a  meeting  of  this  Association  it  will  be  quite  appropriate  to 
give  a  general  account  of  the  entomological  situation  in  the  State  rather 
than  the  usual  notes  on  the  insects  of  the  }rear. 

California  is  not  comparable  with  any  other  one  State,  for  there  are 
included  within  her  boundaries  nearly  as  many  climatic  conditions  as 
are  found  in  all  the  remainder  of  the  United  States. 

The  great  agricultural  region  of  the  State  is  a  large  valley  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  mountains.  The  Sacramento  River  flowing  from  the 
north  and  the  San  Joaquin  from  the  south  meet  and  empty  their  waters 
in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  This  valley  is  the  region  of  our  great- 
est grain  fields,  orchards,  and  vineyards.  Cut  off  as  it  is  by  mountains 
from  adjoining  regions,  not  only  does  it  form  a  unit  as  regards  its 
climate  but  the  native  fauna  and  flora  are  quite  distinct.  Fortunately 
most  of  the  native  insects  are  developed  for  vegetation  of  a  more  or  less 
desert  type  and  few  have  made  themselves  felt  by  their  injuiy  to  cul- 
tivated plants.  A  few  cutworms,  some  native  beetles  of  several  kinds, 
but  with  habits  of  the  eastern  Macrodactylus,  and  two  or  three  species 
of  migratory  grasshoppers  from  the  surrounding  highlands  are  the 
most  abundant,  though  small  local  injury  is  occasionally  done  by  many 
species. 

There  is  some  variation  in  the  great  valley.  It  is  well  watered  to 
the  north  and  along  the  eastern  side,  becoming  quite  a  desert  in  Ehe 
south  and  west,  except  as  reclaimed  by  irrigation.  The  largest  irri- 
gation systems  in  the  State  water  the  southern  portion  of  this  valley. 
The  trough  of  the  valley  is  more  or  less  frosty,  but  along  the  foothills 
and  in  the  south,  even  partly  on  the  plains,  there  runs  a  thermal  belt 
on  which  oranges  are  grown  to  perfection.  Still  higher  14)  on  the 
hills  these  are  replaced  by  the  hardier  fruits  of  (he  temperate  zone. 


91 

Southern  California  is  separated  by  a  range  of  mountains  into  a 
comparatively  narrow  fertile  coast  region  and  a  dry  interior  valley, 
consisting  of  a  high  plateau,  northward  the  Mohave  Desert,  and  south- 
ward the  low  Colorado  Desert,  dipping  in  one  place  below  the  level  of 
the  sea.  There  is  also  an  insignificant  fertile  strip  along  the  Colorado 
River  which  is  quite  tropical.  The  coast  region  is  the  California 
mostly  known  to  Eastern  people.  Here  is  where  the  great  orange 
and  lemon  orchards  are  found.  The  summers  are  not  as  hot  as  are 
those  of  the  great  valley  to  the  north,  because  of  the  influence  of  the 
ocean.  Thus  the  shipping  of  early  fruits  is  from  the  north  to  the 
south;  even  (Manges,  which  ripen  in  winter,  are  being  shipped  from 
northern  California  fully  a  month  earlier  than  from  southern  Cali- 
fornia. The  insect  fauna  of  this  region  is  enriched  by  many  Mexican 
forms,  and  differs  strikingly  from  that  of  the  great  valley.  Econom- 
ically, most  of  their  problems  are  as  different  as  are  their  practices. 

The  central  portion  of  California,  along  the  coast,  consists  of  numer- 
ous valleys,  each  famous  for  the  perfection  of  some  product.  The 
apple,  prune,  and  wine  grapes,  for  instance,  are  here  at  their  best. 
South  from  San  Francisco  the  insect  fauna  is  very  distinctive,  with 
numerous  peculiar  local  form-,  some  of  considerable  economic  impor- 
tance, while  north  of  the  bay  the  fauna  shades  off  on  t lie  one  hand  with 
that  of  the  great  valley,  and  on  the  other  with  the  north  coast  region. 

The  northern  part  of  the  State  is  mountainous  or  high  lava  beds. 
To  the  eastward  and  alone/  the  coast  i-  a  rather  narrow  fertile  region 
having  very  heavy  rainfall.  Here  dairy  interests  predominate.  The 
fauna  is  practically  the  same  as  that  of  Oregon. 

To  bring  eul  more  strikingly  the  econom:,'  significance  of  these 
divisions,  let  us  now  review  some  of  the  more  injurious  insects. 

SCALE  INSECTS. 

Scale  insects  have  attracted  more  attention  in  California  than  has  any 
other  group.  The  most  injurious  species  at  the  present  time  is  the 
black  scale  (Lecanium  olece).  In  the  south  it  is  most  troublesome  on 
oranges  and  lemons,  although  it  is  also  bad  on  olives  and  deciduous 
fruits.  In  the  north  it  is  injurious  to  olives  and  deciduous  fruits  in  the 
coast  \  alleys  only,  scarcely  appearing  in  the  great  valley,  which  seems 
to  be  too  dry  for  it.  It  is  chiefly  against  this  insect  that  fumiga- 
tion w  ith  hydrocyanic-acid  gas  is  practiced,  but  only  as  it  occurs  on 
citrus  trees.  On  deciduous  trees  resin-soap  wash  in  winter  is  chiefly 
depended  upon,  but  it  is  unsatisfactory  on  citrus  trees.  On  these  trees 
fumigation  has  come  to  be  considered  the  only  remedy.  Some  time 
ago  a  good  deal  of  stir  was  made  about  the  work  of  an  Australian 
ladybird  (JRhisobiua  centralis) ^  and  possibly  all  present  may  not  know 
that  it  has  in  no  way  duplicated  the  results  produced  by  the  Vedalia 
cardinaliti  on  the  cottony  cushion  scale  (Icerya  purchasi).    The  other 


92 


orange  scales  have  given  trouble  only  in  the  south,  and  are  also  con- 
trolled by  fumigation. 

The  San  Jose  scale  (Aspidiotus pernicioms)  is  still  with  us  in  Cali- 
fornia, but  is  so  well  in  control  that  it  is  scarcely  ever  mentioned 
when  discussing  injurious  insects  in  conventions  or  meetings  of  farmers. 
It  occurs  all  over  the  State,  but  is  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  great  val- 
ley. The  treatment  almost  uniformly  adopted  is  winter  spraying  with 
lime,  salt,  and  sulphur  mixture.  The  idea  that  it  is  troublesome  only 
in  the  north  is  not  correct.1  It  is  less  injurious  near  the  coast  (San  Jose 
and  southern  Calif orhia)  than  in  the  interior  (Marysville),  but  it  is  rather 
more  injurious  in  the  San  Joaquin  than  in  the  Sacramento  valleys. 
The  use  of  the  lime,  salt,  and  sulphur  mixture  is  so  beneficial  to  the 
tree  that  it  is  often  used  when  the  orchard  is  free  from  scale.  Our 
very  dry,  hot  summer  weather  has  a  tendency  to  unduly  thicken  the 
bark  much  as  the  attacks  of  the  scale  insects  do,  and  nothing  we  know 
of  in  the  way  of  a  bark  corrodent  is  as  safe  and  effective,  leaving  the 
bark  in  so  perfect  a  condition  as  this.  The  wash  does  not  kill  the 
insects,  at  least  not  very  completely  at  once,  but  perhaps  as  much  by 
the  corrosion  of  the  bark  as  anything  else  effectually  rids  the  tree  of 
the  insects  attached  to  it. 

CODLING  MOTHS. 

The  codling  moth,  next  to  scale  insects,  has  received  attention.  It 
occurs  over  most  of  the  State  and  presents  a  most  diverse  set  of  life 
histories  according  to  the  location.  In  some  places  it  is  still  unknown 
(isolated  orchards  along  the  Sierra  foothills);  in  others,  while  present,  it 
is  so  unimportant  as  to  require  no  treatment  (several  localities  exposed 
to  the  ocean  winds). 

Again,  in  a  good  many  localities  the  insects  come  late  in  the  spring 
and  perhaps  have  but  a  single  brood,  and  one  spraying  any  time  before 
the  fruit  is  half  grown  seems  to  be  satisfactorily  effective.  A  still 
larger  number  of  localities  require  the  spraying  to  be  once  carefully 
done  and  properly  timed  for  early  fruit,  and  two  or  three  additional 
sprayings  late  in  the  season  if  late  fruit  is  to  be  saved.  Finally,  sonic 
situations  arc  so  bad  that  a  continuous  warfare  must  be  kept  up  from 
the  time  the  blossoms  open  till  the  fruit  is  picked.  Indeed,  some  of 
our  fruit,  especially  fancy  apples  for  export,  is  picked  over  two  or 
three  times  after  storing  in  the  packing  house  to  allow  the  develop- 
ment of  worms  that  could  not  be  discovered  at  picking  time. 

3 'EACH  WORMS. 

The  peach  worm  (Anopsia  1/meatella),  which  winters  as  a  borer  in 
the  bark,  becomes  a  bud  worm  in  the  spring,  and  in  the  second  gener- 
ation bores  into  the  ripe  fruit,  is  one  of  our  most  troublesome  peach 


1  J.  Vj.  Smith,  Kep.  State  Ent.  N.  J. 


93 


insects.  It  shows  some  of  the  same  peculiarities  as  to  abundance  and 
ability  to  do  injury,  but  in  some  regions,  as  at  Berkeley,  is  practically 
unknown. 

The  Eastern  peach  borer,  as  well  as  the  curculio,  has  not  found  as 
\  i  t  a  home  in  California.  The  former  has  without  doubt  been  many 
timeB  introduced  into  the  State  on  nursery  stock.  Why  they  have 
not  become  acclimated  is  very  difficult  to  understand.  We  have  a 
native  peach  borer,  S<i,>n'nm  ]><!<■',  tir,,^  belonging  to  the  same  genus  and 
with  the  same  habits,  which  in  its  distribution  is  quite  as  mysterious. 
This  insect  makes  its  home  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Jose  and  has 
undoubtedly,  even  to  a  larger  extent  than  the  Eastern  species,  been 
sent  in  nursery  stock  over  the  State,  but  it  is  still  quite  unknown 
except  in  that  one  region,  where  it  is  quite  as  much  a  pest  as  the 
S.  ,  .ritiosd  has  ever  been  in  the  East. 

GRAPE  INSECTS. 

Since  California  is  the  only  region  where  the  European  grape  is 
grown,  it  is  only  w  ith  us  that  the  phylloxera  is  an  important  insect. 
\  ineyards  have  been  destroyed  over  whole  valleys,  as  occurred  in 
Europe,  but  the  insect  proves  to  be  very  much  slower  in  spreading 
than  in  Europe,  which  corresponds  with  the  difference  in  life  history 
in  (  alifornia.  The  winged  form,  being  produced  only  after  long  inter- 
vals, apparently  requires  condition- which  in  most  years  do  not  occur. 

Next  to  the  phylloxera  the  vine  hopper  I  7y/>///>"///'"  mines)  (ours  is 
a  variety  somewhat  intermediate  between  coloradensis  and  the  typical 
comrs)  is  injurious  only  in  the  great  valley  and  in  the  coast  region 
north  and  west  of  San  Francisco  Bay.    In  the  early  spring  it  often 
comes  in  -uch  immense  numbers  as  to  cause  the  distortion  of  the  young 
leaves  by  the  partial  atrophy  of  the  vine,  causing  them  to  havesome^ 
thing  the  appearance  of  curled  leaf  lettuce.    After  the  first  leaves 
have  become  mature  they  insert  their  slender  curved  eggs  just  under 
the  cuticle  of  the  leaves  beneath,  and  young  are  produced  from  then 
on  continuously  till  the  leaves  fall.     By  autumn,  if  aothing  checks 
them,  they  are  more  numerous  than  I  have  ever  seen  them  in  the  East. 
They  are  abundant  enough  every  spring  to  easily  destroy  all  the  foliage 
before  the  season  is  over,  hut  through  disease  or  other  calamity, 
exactly  what.  I  have  never  been  able  to  satisfy  myself,  their  num- 
bers are  usually  reduced  so  that  it  is  possible  to  raise  grapes. 

The  remedy  usually  suggested  for  vine  hoppers  is  winter  " cleaning 
up,"  but  the  usual  practice  in  most  parts  of  our  vineyard  districts  is 
to  clean  up  more  thoroughly  than  would  he  thought  possible  in  the 
East.  It  is  certain  that  the  clean  vineyards  are  most  injured  by  the 
hoppers  in  the  spring,  although  by  midsummer  little  difference  can  be 
noticed. 

Another  vine  hopper  belonging  to  a  different  subfamily,  and  I 


94 


believe  the  only  member  of  its  genus  ever  becoming  seriousl}T  injuri- 
ous, is  Tettigonia  circillata.  It  is  as  injurious  and  in  every  way 
entirely  replaces  the  small  vine  hopper  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valle}%  and 
while  occurring  all  over  the  coast  region  southward  is  nowhere 
troublesome.  It  differs  from  the  Typhlocyba  in  breeding  in  the  winter 
and  on  other  plants  as  well  as  on  grapes  in  the  summer  time. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  bring  up  further  examples  to  show  how  clearly 
the  distribution  and  habits  of  insects  depend  upon  their  environment, 
and  the  necessity  in  a  region  of  such  diversity  as  California  of  making 
local  investigations  before  having  any  sound  basis  for  economic 
practice. 

NOTES  FROM  CANADA. 

By  James  Fletcher,  Ottawa,  Canada. 

The  economic  entomologist  has  had  full  opportunity  this  spring  of 
studying  injurious  insects  in  all  parts  of  Canada.  Owing  to  the  atten- 
tion which  has  been  directed  to  the  subject  by  legislation  connected 
with  the  San  Jose  scale  and  other  injurious  insects,  many  people  have 
noticed  insect  injuries  which  otherwise  would  have  been  overlooked. 

An  important  concession  was  made  by  the  federal  government  last 
spring  in  allowing  nursery  stock  to  be  imported  into  Canada  subject 
to  fumigation  in  houses  specially  prepared  and  in  charge  of  a  govern- 
ment officer. 

Tent  caterpillars  of  the  two  common  species,  which  during  the  last 
three  years  have  been  extremely  abundant  in  eastern  Canada,  were 
noticeably  less  destructive.  Although  many  hatched  in  some  places, 
they  disappeared  suddenly  and  few  produced  the  perfect  insects.  The 
cause  of  this  sudden  disappearance  was  not  detected  in  most  cases. 

Leaf  rollers  on  apple  trees  were  very  destructive  toward  the  end  of 
May  in  orchards  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  two 
commonest  species  being  Lophodems  quadrifasciana  and  Cacmcia  ros- 
aceana.  Both  of  these  insects  are  common  at  Ottawa  and  have  done 
a  considerable  amount  of  harm  for  several  years,  but  the}^  have  been 
particularly  abundant  this  summer.  In  1891  and  1892  apple  trees  on 
the  experimental  farm  were  almost  denuded  in  the  spring.  Thelarvse 
of  Lophoderus  eat  the  green  portions  of  the  leaves,  reducing  them  to 
masses  of  dirty  white  down,  the  pubescence  from  beneath  the  leaves, 
and  fragments  of  leaves.  Another  injury  to  apple  trees  of  some 
interest  which  has  been  complained  of  this  year  rather  more  than 
usual  is  an  attack  upon  the  flowers  by  the  click  beetle  Coryrribites 
ta/rsaUs.  The  beetles  eat  holes  into  the  petals  and  destroy  the  essen- 
tial organs  as  well.  Micropteryx pomworella,  usually  a  rare  insect, 
has  been  found  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  Niagara  district,  and 
specimens  have  also  been  sent  from  Nova  Scotia.  The  curious  little 
cocoons  in  sonic  instances  have  been  sent,  in  as  scale  insects.  They 


95 


boar  a  slight  resemblance  to  some  species  of  Lecanium.  The  oyster- 
shell  bark  louse,  in  most  parts  of  Canada  a  serious  enemy  of  the  fruit 
grower,  has  been  much  reduced  in  numbers  by  the  parasite  ApJielinus 
miftihisjtltHs^  which  has  been  at  work  all  through  the  Niagara  district. 
Experiments  have  been  tried  with  several  of  the  usually  recommended 
remedies  for  the  oyster-shell  bark  louse,  and  the  results  of  some  exper- 
iments with  a  simple  lime  whitewash,  which  have  been  carried  on  by 
Mr.  W.  T.  Macoun,  horticulturist  at  the  Central  Experimental  Farm, 
are  worth  mentioning.  When  spraying  trees  with  whitewash  to 
retard  the  opening  of  the  flower  buds,  Mr.  Macoun  noticed  that  the 
bark  lice  were  killed  and  scaled  off  in  large  numbers  from  the  trees  as 
the  whitewash  fell,  and  from  present  appearances  the  results  of  spray- 
ing fruit  trees  infested  with  the  oyster-shell  bark  louse  are  such  as  to 
indicate  that  this  will  prove  a  valuable,  simple,  and  inexpensive 
remedy. 

ROOTS  AND  VEGETABLES. 

The  most  troublesome  insects  this  season  under  this  head  have  been 
the  root  maggots  of  the  onion  and  cabbage.  Manv  remedies  have 
been  tried,  but  nothing  actuallv  new  has  been  learned.  The  (lough 
tarred-paper  disks  have  been  very  successfully  used,  and  for  cabbages 
and  cauliflowers  with  more  satisfaction  than  anything  else.  These 
have  been  fully  described  by  Mr.  Slingerland.  Among  the  insect 
enemies  of  the  pea,  the  pea  weevil  (Bruchus JHSOrvm)  IB  still  abundant 
in  some  part -of  Canada— a  fact,  I  think,  due  to  greater  negligence  on 
the  part  of  seedsmen  in  treating  seed  than  was  formerly  the  case.  The 
destructive  pea  aphis  has  not  yet  made  its  reappearance  in  Canada  this 
season.  The  white  cabbage  butterfly  (/V, /•/.*  /■>>/><>).  vvvvy  year  the 
cause  of  much  1<»--  to  cabbage  growers,  has  now  reached  Vancouver 
Island,  and  thus  extends  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  The  red 
turnip  beetle  I  Entomoserlis  mlnnnl'ts)  has  appeared  rather  earlier  than 
usual  in  the  Northwest,  where  it  attacks  all  cruciferous  plants.  It  is 
particularly  attracted  by  the  wild  crucifers,  Sisymbrium  inciswm  and 
Erysirrmm  inconspicuum.  Although  no  serious  loss  has  as  yet  been 
reported  from  this  insect,  with  the  gradual  settling  up  of  the  prairie 
provinces  it  i<  to  be  feared  that  this  will  become  a  serious  pest  of  cab- 
bages, turnips,  and  radishes. 

CEREALS. 

One  of  the  serious  outbreaks  of  the  present  season  is  by  locusts  (Jf. 
spretus  and  atlanis)  in  Manitoba,  which  hatched  out  remarkably  early 
this  year,  namely,  by  May  20,  and  owing  to  the  exceptional  drought 
have  already  done  much  harm  to  crops.  Cutworms  have  also  been 
abundant  in  wheat  fields.  A  new  attack  of  much  interest  in  the  wheat 
fields  of  Manitoba  last  year  was  by  the  Hessian  fly,  which  reduced  the 
crop  from  5  to  25  per  cent  in  different  places.    Another  of  the  old- 


96 


time  enemies  of  the  wheat  plant  also  showed  up  again  last  year  in  two 
or  three  parts  in  Canada,  namely,  the  wheat  midge  (Diplosis  tritici). 

Of  mill  insects  the  Mediterranean  flour  moth  continues  to  be  trou- 
blesome, and  an  interesting  occurrence  was  found  a  few  miles  from 
Ottawa,  where  the  insect  in  a  badly  infested  mill  was  abundantly  par- 
asitized by  a  small  Limneria,  probably  L.  fugitivd.  The  ordinary 
meal  moth  (Pyralis  farinalis)  was  the"  author  of  considerable  loss  in 
stored  grain  at  one  locality  in  Manitoba. 

FODDER  PLANTS. 

The  clover  weevil  (Phytonom  us pwnctai/us)  has  as  usual  been  found  in 
one  or  two  places  along  Lake  Ontario  this  spring,  but,  as  has  always 
been  the  case  with  us  in  Canada,  was  quickly  wiped  out  by  the  fungus 
Entomophthora  phytonomi.  A  far  more  general  and  destructive 
insect  to  clover  with  us  is  the  lesser  clover  weevil  (P.  nigrirostris). 
Three  or  four  occurrences  have  been  reported  in  the  Province  of 
Ontario  of  the  clover-root  borer  (Hylastimts  <>bscitrus),  but  the  loss 
has  not  been  great. 

TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

Probably  the  items  of  the  greatest  interest  under  this  heading-  were 
the  abundant  occurrence  in  Manitoba  and  the  Northwest  of  some 
insect  enemies  of  the  ash-leaved  maple  (Negundo  aceroides),  the 
Negundo  gall  gnat.  The  fleshy  galls  of  a  cecidomyiid-like  larva  were 
found  in  enormous  numbers  on  the  young  leaves  in  June.  Wherever 
this  tree  had  been  planted  for  shade  or  ornament  throughout  Mani- 
toba and  as  far  west  as  Indian  Head,  the  trees  were  much  disfigured. 
There  appears  to  be  only  one  brood  in  the  year.  Occurring  on  the 
same  trees  were  the  larvae  of  the  cankerworm  {AlsophUa  pometdria), 
which  in  many  places  stripped  the  trees  of  leaves.  This  is  a  con- 
stancy recurring  enemy  of  the  ash-leaved  maple  in  Manitoba.  Another 
serious  enemy  of  this  much  burdened  tree  is  the  aphid  ( Clmitophorus 
n<(/in,d! iris),  which  renders  the  trees  filthy  by  reason  of  its  copious 
honey  dew  and  the  black  fungus  which  grows  upon  it,  Fumago.  The 
larva  of  a  small  moth  also  causes  swelling  in  the  twigs  while  green 
and  subsequently  most  of  these  twigs  are  permanently  injured.  The 
moth  was  identified  by  Dr.  Rile}r  as  Proteoteras  CBS&ularia. 

There  are  of  course  many  other  insects  which  might  be  mentioned, 
but  these  are  the  most  interesting  I  can  think  of  at  the  present 
moment . 


All  the  papers  having  been  presented,  the  following  discussions  took 
place: 

Mr.  Woodworth  called  attention  to  :i  method  of  combating  the  cod- 
ling moth  frequently  used  in  California.  He  stated  that  the  California 
growers  at  the  time  of  cultivating  their  trees  in  the  fall  frequently 


97 


banded  the  trees  with  cloth  or  straw,  and  that  these  bands  serve  to  col- 
lect the  codling-moth  larvae,  which  were  then  destroyed. 

Mr.  Gillette  had  observed  the  larvae  of  this  insect  migrating  on  the 
tree  trunks  in  the  spring,  contrary  to  what  was  supposed  to  be  their 
usual  habit.  He  had  observed  the  larva1  leaving  their  winter  cocoons 
and  moving  about  on  the  tree  trunks  at  this  time.  In  his  opinion 
banding  the  trees  in  the  spring  was  a  valuable  means  for  fighting  the 
insect. 

Mr.  Johnson,  in  explanation  of  the  common  name  of  Nectarophora 
destructor,  stated  that  this  name  had  been  decided  upon  jointly  by 
Messrs.  Pergande,  Chittenden,  and  himself;  that  while  the  name  was 
perhaps  open  to  criticism,  it  was  probably  as  appropriate  as  any.  He 
also  called  attention  to  Mr.  Lounsbury's  statement  that  the  red  scale 
occurred  on  other  than  citrus  trees  in  South  Africa,  which  tact  is  of 
great  importance  and  worthy  of  emphasis. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  said  that  the  red  scale  was  a  very  common  pest  on 
the  pear  in  South  Africa,  that  it  had  an  extremely  wide  range  of  food 
plants,  and  that  its  effect  on  growing  wood  was  similar  to  that  of  the 
San  Jose  scale. 

Mr.  Felt,  discussing  the  matter  of  common  names  of  insects, 
expressed  the  opinion  that  a  strict  enforcement  of  the  law  of  priority 
is  hardly  practical  in  such  cases.  It  ifi  difficult  bo  change  a  well -estab- 
lished common  name,  however  inappropriate  it  may  be.  He  cited  the 
failure  of  an  attempt  to  change  the  common  name  of  ( 7 tsiocamgpa  diss- 
tria  from  44 forest  tent  caterpillar"  to  "forest  tentless  caterpillar." 

Mr.  Fletcher  felt  that  entomologists  were  open  to  grave  criticism 
in  not  establishing  appropriate  common  names  for  injurious  insects. 
He  suggested  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  secure  uniformity  in 
common  names  of  insects. 

Mr.  Woodworth,  referring  to  an  experience  in  this  line  in  California, 
stated  that  the  board  of  horticulture  of  that  State  had  formally  voted 
to  call  Aspimohis  perniciosus  the  "pernicious  scale."  but  in  spite  of 
their  efforts  to  secure  a  standing  for  this  name  the  pest  was  still  gen- 
erally known  as  the  "  San  Jose  scale." 

Mr.  Hopkins  discussed  at  length  the  confusion  arising  from  varia- 
tion in  common  names.  It  was,  in  his  opinion,  highly  desirable  to 
have  a  uniform  common  name  for  each  injurious  species,  similar  to 
those  adopted  by  the  American  Ornithologists  Union.  He  also  moved 
tin1  appointment  by  the  chair  of  a  committee  on  common  names. 

Mr.  Johnson,  referring  to  the  motion  just  made  by  Mr.  Hopkins, 
called  attention  to  the  lack  of  system  in  selecting  common  names  of 
scale  insects.  For  instance,  Aspidiotus  ancyVus  Putnam  was  known 
as  the  "  Putnam  scale,''  Aspidiotus  forhesi  Johnson  was  known  as  the 
"  Forbes  scale."  etc. 

0878— No.  !^b'  7 


98 


Mr.  Kirkland  thought  the  members  were  wasting  valuable  time  on 
this  matter  of  common  names.  Entomologists,  to  be  most  useful  to 
their  clientele,  must  use  the  most  common  name  of  the  injurious 
species  under  discussion,  and  it  would  be  impractical  to  confine  ento- 
mologists in  different  parts  of  the  country  to  a  single  common  name 
for  an  injurious  species. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  said  it  would  be  impractical  to  write  of  the  "woolly 
aphis  "  of  the  apple  in  South  Africa,  since  there  Schizoneura  lanigera 
was  everywhere  known  as  the  "  American  blight,"  yet  the  name 
"American  blight"  would  hardly  be  serviceable  to  the  reading  public 
in  this  country.  In  the  same  way  the  "corn  worm"  of  the  North 
{Heliothis  armiger)  was  the  "cotton -boll  worm"  of  the  South. 

Mr.  Fletcher  considered  that  some  arrangement  to  secure  uniformity 
in  common  names  of  insects  would  not  be  impracticable,  since  it  had 
been  made  to  work  well  in  the  case  of  birds. 

Mr.  Johnson  thought  the  scope  of  the  committee  should  be  confined 
to  the  establishing  of  common  names  for  such  new  species  as  should 
hereafter  prove  injurious. 

After  the  acceptance  of  the  amendment  offered  by  Mr.  Johnson,  it 
was  resolved  that  a  committee,  to  consist  of  Mr.  Gillette,  the  first  vice- 
president,  and  the  secretary  of  the  Association,  be  appointed  to  pass 
upon  the  common  names  of  such  injurious  insects  as  may  be  discovered 
in  the  future. 

Mr.  Fletcher  expressed  a  desire  that  the  committee  also  be  given 
power  to  remove  ungainly  and  inappropriate  names,  and  offered  an 
amendment  to  this  effect,  which  was  accepted  and  adopted. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Cooper  Curtice,  of  Raleigh,  N.  C. ,  relative  to  the 
need  of  securing  a  uniform  list  of  injurious  insects  for  use  in  quaran- 
tine work  was  read,  and  upon  motion  of  Mr.  J ohnson  laid  upon  the 
table. 

The  regular  routine  was  suspended  to  admit  the  proposal  of  two  new 
members: 

C.  B.  Simpson,  of  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  proposed  by  Mr.  Sanderson. 

Henry  Skinner,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  proposed  by  Mr.  Hopkins. 

The  committee  on  nominations  proposed  the  following  officers  for 
the  ensuing  year: 

President,  C.  P.  Gillette,  of  Fort  Collins,  Colo. 

First  vice-president,  A.  D.  Hopkins,  Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

Second  vice-president,  E.  P.  Felt,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Secretary -treasurer,  A.  L.  Quaintance,  Experiment,  Ga. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  accepted  and  the  officers  above 
mentioned  elected. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  the  retiring  secretary  for  his  services 
during  l  be  past  two  years. 


99 


The  report  of  the  committee  on  resolutions,  given  below,  was 
accepted  and  adopted,  viz: 

Resolved,  That  we  regret  the  absence  of  the  president  of  the  Association,  and  that 
we  extend  to  the  acting  president  our  thanks  for  his  able  address,  and  commend  his 
suggestions  to  the  consideration  of  all  members  of  the  Association. 

Resolved,  That  we  request  the  honorable  Secretary  of  Agriculture  to  publish  the 
proceedings  of  this  meeting,  and  that  we  express  to  him  our  hearty  appreciation  of 
such  action  in  previous  years. 

Resolinl,  That  we  express  our  thanks  to  Columbia  University  and  its  officers  and 
the  lecal  committee1  for  courtesies  extended  the  Association. 

E.  P.  Felt, 

W.  ( i.  Johnson, 

A.  F.  Bi'KtiEss, 

Committee. 

It  was  voted  to  hold  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  at 
the  same  place  and  on  the  two  week  days  preceding  the  next  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
which  will  be  held  in  Denver,  Colo..  August  24-31,  L901. 

Adjourned. 

A.  H.  Kirkland,  Secretary. 


LIST   OF   THE    MEMBERS   OF   THE   ASSOCIATION   OF  ECONOMIC 

ENTOMOLOGISTS. 


ACTIVE  MEMBERS. 

Adams,  M.  F.,  City  Bank  Building,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Aldrich,  J.  M.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Moscow,  Idaho. 

Alwood,  William  B.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Blacksburg,  Va. 

Ashmead,  William  H.,  TJ.  S.  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Baker,  C.  F.,  Normal  and  High  School,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Ball,  E.  I).,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Fort  Collins,  Colo. 

Banks,  C.  S.,  Capitol  Building,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Banks,  Nathan,  IT.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Barrows,  W.  B.,  Agricultural  College,  Mich. 
Beckwith,  M.  H.,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Benton,  Frank,  IT.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Bethune,  C.  J.  S.,  500  Dufferin  avenue,  London,  Ontario. 
Bogue,  E.  E.,  Orwell,  Ohio. 
Britton,  W.  E.,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Bruner,  Lawrence,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Lincoln,  Nebr. 
Bullard,  W.  S.,  301  Lafayette  street,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 
Burgess,  Albert  F.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Wooster,  Ohio. 
Busck,  August,  II.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Campbell,  J.  P.,  Athens,  Ga. 

Chambliss,  C.  E.,  2435  Virginia  avenue,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

Chittenden,  F.  H.,  IT.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Clifton,  Richard  S.,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Cockerell,  T.  D.  A.,  Mesilla  Park,  N.  Mex. 

Collins,  Lewis,  177  Remsen  street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Comstock,  J.  H.,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Cook,  A.  J.,  Pomona  College,  Claremont,  Cal. 

Cooley,  R.  A.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Bozeman,  Mont. 

Coquillett,  J).  W.,  V.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Cordley,  A.  B.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Corvallis,  Oreg. 

Doran,  E.  W.,  Normal  School,  Clinton,  Mo. 

Ehrhorn,  E.  M.,  Mountainview,  Cal. 

Felt,  Ephriam  P.,  Capitol  Building,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Fernald,  0.  II.,  Agricultural  College,  Amherst,  Mass. 

Fernald,  H.  T.,  Agricultural  College,  Amherst,  Mass. 

Fiske,  W.  F.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Durham,  N.  H. 

Fletcher,  James,  Centra]  Experimental  Farm,  Ottawa,  Canada. 

Forbes,  S.  A.,  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  111. 

Forbush,  E.  H.,  L3  Stanwood  Hall,  Maiden,  Mass. 

Fowler,  Carroll,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

Frost,  W.  L.,  21  South  Market  street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Garman,  II.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Lexington,  Ky. 

Gibson,  Arthur,  Central  Experimental  Farm,  Ottawa,  Canada. 

Gifford,  John,  Mays  Landing,  N.  J. 

Gillette,  C.  I'.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Fori  Collins,  Colo. 
Gossard,  H.  A.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Lake  City,  Fla. 
100 


101 


Gould.  H.  P..  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  College  Park,  Md. 

Hargitt.  C.  W.,  Syracuse  University,  Syracuse,  X.  Y. 

Harrington,  W.  II.,  Post-Office  Department,  Ottawa,  Canada. 

Hart,  C.  A.,  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  111. 

Hillman,  F.  H.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Reno,  New 

Hine,  J.  S.,  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Hopkins,  A.  D.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

Howard,  L.  O.,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Hudson,  G.  H.,  Normal  and  Training  School,  Plattsburg,  X.  Y. 

Hulst,  <i.  D.,  15  Himrod  street,  Brooklyn,  X.  Y. 

Hunter.  S.  J.,  University  of  Kansas,  Lawrence,  Kans. 

Johnson,  W.  G..  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  College  Park,  Md. 

Kim-aid.  Trevor,  Iniversity  of  Washington,  Seattle,  Wash. 

King,  George  !>..  Lawrence.  Mass. 

Kirkland.  A.  II.,  Maiden.  Mass. 

Lowe,  V.  II.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Geneva,  X.  Y. 

Lugger,  Otto,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  St.  Anthony  Park.  Minn. 

McCarthy.  Gerald,  care  of  Crop  Pest  Commission,  Raleigh.  X.  C. 

Mann,  B.  P.,  1918  Sunderland  Place,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Marlatt,  C.  L.,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Washington,  D.  C. 

Morgan.  H.  A..  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Baton  Rouge.  La. 

Mosher,  F.  II..  2S:i  Pleasant  street.  Maiden,  Mass. 

Murtfeldt.  Miss  M.  E.,  Kirkwood,  Mo. 

Newell,  Wilmon,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Wooster,  Ohio. 
Niswander,  F.  J.,  2121  Evans  street,  Cheyenne,  Wyo. 
()~liurn,  Herbert,  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Packard,  A.  S.,  115  Angell  street,  Providence,  K.  I. 
Palmer,  K.  M.,  Victoria,  British  Columbia. 

Pergande,  Th.,  U.  8.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Perkins,  G.  H.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Burlington,  Vt. 

Pettit,  R  II.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Agricultural  College;  Mich. 

Philli])s,  J.  L.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Blacksburg,  Ya. 

Popenoe,  E.  A.,  303  Fillmore  street,  Topeka,  Kans. 

Quaintance,  A.  L.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Experiment,  Ga. 

Rane,  F.  W.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Durham,  X.  H. 

Reed,  E.  B.,  Fsquiinault,  British  Columbia. 

Rolls,  P,  11..  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Clemson  College,  S.  C. 
Ramsey,  W.  EL,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Morgantown,  W.  Va. 
Sanderson.  E.  Dwight,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Newark,  Del. 
Saunders,  William,  Dundas  street,  London,  Ontario. 
Schwarz.  E.  A.,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Scott,  W.  M..  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Sherman,  Franklin,  jr.,  care  of  Crop  Pest  Commission,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Simpson,  C.  B.,  Cornell  Iniversity,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Sirrine,  F.  A.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Jamaica,  X.  Y. 

Skinner,  Henry,  71  (J  Xorth  Twentieth  street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Slingerland  M.  V..  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Ithaca,  X.  Y. 

Smith,  J.  B.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Xew  Brunswick,  X.  J. 

Snow,  F.  H.,  University  of  Kansas,  Lawrence,  Kans. 

South  wick,  E.  B.,  Arsenal  Building,  Central  Park,  New  York,  X.  Y. 

Stedman,  J.  M.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Columbia,  Mo. 

Stimson,  James,  Watsonville,  Cal. 

Summers,  H.  E.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Ames,  Iowa. 
Test,  F.  C,  4048  Indiana  avenue,  Chicago,  111. 
Thaxter,  Roland,  3  Scott  street,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


102 


Tourney,  J.  W.,  Yale  Forest  School,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Townsend,  C.  H.  T.,  TJ.  S.  Custom-House,  El  Paso,  Tex. 
Walker,  C.  M.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Amherst,  Mass. 
Washburn,  F.  L.,  University  of  Oregon,  Eugene,  Oreg. 
Webster,  F.  M.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Wooster,  Ohio. 
Weed,  C.  M.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Durham,  N.  H. 
Weed,  H.  E.,  Griffin,  Ga. 

Wilcox,  E.  V.,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Woodworth,  C.  W.,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

FOREIGN  MEMBERS. 
Barlow,  Edw.,  Calcutta,  India. 

Berlese,  Dr.  Antonio,  R.  Scuola  Superiore  di  Agricoltura,  Portici,  Italy. 
Bordage,  Edmond,  Directeur  de  Musee,  St.  Denis,  Reunion. 
Bos,  Dr.  J.  Ritzema,  Willie  Commelin  Scholten,  Amsterdam,  Netherlands. 
Carpenter,  Prof.  George  H.,  Science  and  Art  Museum,  Dublin,  Ireland. 
Cholodkowsky,  Prof.  Dr.  N. ,  Institut  Forestier,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 
Cotes,  E.  C,  201  Iffley  road,  Oxford,  England. 

Danysz,  J.,  Laboratoire  de  Parasitologic,  Bourse  de  Commerce,  Paris,  France. 

Enock,  Fred.,  13  Tufnell  Park  road,  Holloway,  London,  N.,  England. 

French,  Charles,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Melbourne,  Australia. 

Froggatt,  W.  W.,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Sydney,  New  South  Wales. 

Fuller,  Claude,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Pietermaritzburg,  Natal,  South  Africa. 

Giard,  A.,  14  Rue  Stanislaus,  Paris,  France. 

Goding,  F.  W7. ,  Newcastle,  New  South  Wales. 

Grasby,  W.  C,  Grenfell  street,  Adelaide,  South  Australia. 

Green,  E.  E.,  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Punduloya,  Ceylon. 

Helms,  Richard,  136  George  street,  North  Sydney,  New  South  Wales. 

Horvath,  Dr.  G.,  Musee  Nationale  Hongroise,  Budapest,  Austria-Hungary. 

Lampa,  Prof.  Sven,  Statens  Entomologiska  Anstalt,  Albano,  Stockholm,  Sweden. 

Lea,  A.  M.,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Hobart,  Tasmania. 

Leonardi,  Gustavo,  Portici,  Italy. 

Lindeman,  Dr.  K.,  Landwirthschaftliche  Akademie,  Moscow,  Russia. 
Lounsbury,  Charles  P.,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cape  Town,  South  Africa. 
Mally,  C.  W.,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cape  Town,  South  Africa. 
MarchaJ,  Dr.  Paul,  16  Rue  Claude  Bernard,  Paris,  France. 

Musson,  Charles  T.,  Hawkesbury  Agricultural  College,  Richmond,  New  South  Wales. 
New  stead,  Robert,  Grosvenor  Museum,  Chester,  England. 
Ormerod, Miss  Eleanor  A.,  Torrington  House,  St.  Albans,  England. 
Porchinski,  Prof.  A.,  Ministere  de  1' Agriculture,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 
Reed,  E.  C,  Rancagua,  Chile. 

Reuter,  Dr.  Enzio,  Fredriksgatan  45,  Helsingfors,  Finland,  Russia. 

Sajo,  Prof.  Charles,  Godollo-Veresegyhaz,  Austria-Hungary. 

Sehoyen,  Prof.  W.  M.,  Zoological  Museum,  Christiania,  Norway. 

Shipley,  Pro!'.  Arthur  E.,  Christ's  College,  Cambridge,  England. 

Targioni-Tozzetti,  Prof.  A.,  R.  Staz.  d.  Entom.  Agrar.,  Florence,  Italy, 

Tepper,  J.  G.  <>.,  Norwood,  South  Australia. 

Theobald,  Frederick  B.,  Wyecourt,  County  Kent,  England. 

Thompson,  Rev.  Edward  II.,  Franklin,  Tasmania. 

Tryon,  EL,  Queensland  Museum,  Brisbane,  Queensland,  Australia. 

Drich,  I".  W.,  Victoria  Institute,  Port  of  Spain,  Trinidad,  West  Indies. 

Vermorel,  v.,  Villefranche,  Rhone,  France. 

Whitehead,  Charles,  Banning  House,  Maidstone,  Kent,  England. 


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